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SHAKESPEARE'S 



TRAGEDY OF 



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OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



Edited, with Notes, 



WILLIAM Jf ROLFE, A.M., 

FORMERLY HEAD MASTER OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE. MASS. 



t/ 



WITH ENGRA VINGS. 




NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 

1879. 



A 2,1 

7^ 



ENGLISH CLASSICS. 

Edited by YVM. J. ROLFE, A.M. 

Illustrated. i6mo, Cloth, 70 cents per volume ; Paper, 50 cents per volume. 



Shakespeare's Othello. 

M Julius Caesar. 

Henry V. 
" Richard II. 

Merchant of Venice. 
Midsummer- Night's 

Dream. 
Macbeth. 



Shakespeare's Hamlet. 

" Much Ado about Noth- 

ing. 
Henry VIII. 
Romeo and Juliet. 
11 As You Like It. 

11 Tempest. 

Goldsmith's Select Poems. 
Gray's Select Poems. 

Other volumes in p7~eparation. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

13^ A uy of the above works will be sent by mail, postage f repaid, to any part 
of the United States, on receipt of the price. 



Copyright, 1879, by Harper & Brothers. 



PREFACE. 



The text of this edition of Othello is the result of a careful collation 
of the quarto of 1622 and the folio of 1623 with the other leading 
editions, early and modern. For the readings of editions which I have 
not been able to examine I have depended on the collation in the 
"Cambridge" edition. 

In the Notes, as a rule, the authorities to which I have been indebted 
are specified. The quotations credited to "Clarke" are from " Cas« 
sell's Illustrated Shakespeare," edited by Charles and Mary Cowden 
Clarke. 

The illustrations of scenery in Cyprus are from Mr. Arundale's 
sketches, engraved for Knight's " Pictorial Shakspere." The view of 
Venice on page 9 is from one of Turner's paintings ; and the border on 
page 36 is copied from the central balcony of the canal front of the 
Ducal Palace. 

Venice, March 31, 1879. 




I ill-. PORCH OF STRATFORD CHURCH. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction to Othello 9 

I. The History of the Play 9 

II. The Sources of the Plot 13 

III. Critical Comments on the Play 15 

OTHELLO , 35 

Act I.. r. 37 

" II 60 

"HI S 3 

" IV 109 

" v I3I 

Notes 151 










" She lov'd me for the clangers I had pass'd, 
And I lov'd her that she did pity them. 
1 his only is the witchcraft I have us'd — 
Here comes the lady ; let her witness it." 

(i. 3- 167-170.) 




INTRODUCTION 

TO 

OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



T. THE HISTORY OF THE PLAY. 

The first edition of Othello was a quarto, published in 
1622 with the following title-page: 

THE I Tragoedy of Othello, | The Moore of Venice. | As 
it hath bee?ie diuerse times acted at the | Globe, and at the 
Black-Friers, by | his Maiesties Seruants. \ Written by Will- 
iam Shakespeare. | LONDON, | Printed by N. O. for Thom- 
as Walkley, and are to be sold at his | shop, at the Eagle and 
Child, in Brittans Bursse. I 1622. 



io OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

This edition had the following preface : 

The Stationer to the Reader. 
To set forth a booke without an Epistle, were like to the old 
English prouerbe, A blew coat without a badge, 6° the Author 
being dead, I thought good to take that piece of worke vpon mee : 
To commend it, I will not, for that which is good, I hope euery 
man will commend, without i?itreaty : and I a?n the bolder, be- 
cause the Authors name is sufficient to ve?it his worke. Thus 
leaning euery one to the liberty of iudgement : I hane v entered to 
print this Play, and leaue it to the generall censure. 

Yours, 

Thomas VValkley. 

The next year it appeared in the first folio, where it occu- 
pies pages 310-339 inclusive, in the division of " Tragedies." 
The folio text varies materially from that of the quarto, and 
was evidently printed from a different MS. of the play. 

How the publishers of the two editions arranged the ques- 
tion of copyright, it is impossible to say.* The copyright of 
the quarto remained the property of Walkley until March 1st, 
1627-8, when it was assigned unto Richard Hawkins, who 
brought out an edition of it in 1630. In May, 1638, Ursula, 
widow of Richard Hawkins, assigned the copyright to 
Messrs. Mead and Meredith, who in January, 1638-9, dis- 
posed of it to William Leak, who issued what he termed 
"the fourth edition" of the play in 1655. Other quarto edi- 
tions appeared in 1681, 1687, and 1695 (Halliwell). 

Othello was formerly placed among the latest of Shakes- 
peare's works 1 Warburton and Malone (except in his last 
edition) dating it 161 1, Chalmers 1614, and Drake 1612. 
After the publication in 1842 of the Shakespearian entries 

* Collier says that the publishers of the folio probably purchased 
Walkley's interest in Othello, and thus became entitled to include it in 
their edition ; but the facts given by Halliwell show that it remained 
the property of Walkley long after the publication of the folio. 



INTRODUCTION. \\ 

in the Accounts of the Master of the Revels, according to 
which " The Moor of Venis " was performed " in the Ban- 
ketinge house att Whithall " on " Hallamas Day being the 
first of Novembar," 1604, an earlier date was accepted by the 
majority of the editors.* In 1868 these entries were proved 
to be forgeries, t leaving the question to be decided by internal 
evidence. This, however, is generally considered to place 
the composition of the play in or near 1604. Delius, Furni- 
vall, Fleay, and Stokes agree in this opinion. Stokes$ proves 
that it was written before the year 1606 by the following 
minute detail : in i. 1. 4 in the quarto of 1622, we have the 
expression " 'Sblood," while this oath is omitted in the folio. 
This shows that the quarto was printed from a copy made 
before the act of Parliament issued in 1606 against the abuse 
of the name of God in plays, etc.§ 

This date is confirmed by certain metrical and aesthetic 
tests. The comparative absence of rhyme, the proportion of 
" double endings " and " weak endings," and the absence of 
classical allusions, all combine to group this play with Lear 
and Macbeth. Dowden points to the fact that the general 
character and spirit of the play lead to the same conclusion 
as these metrical tests, marking it as " one of the group 
of tragedies of passion which includes Macbeth and Lear" 

* Verplanck expressed the opinion that the play was substantially re- 
written at a later date. White suggested that The Moor of Venice of 
1604 was by another playwright, and, being the property of Shakespeare's 
company, was afterwards entirely rewritten by him as late as 161 1, if not 
later. 

Certain allusions to contemporaneous history and literature which the 
critics have found in the play will be considered in the A T otes. 

t See our ed. of Merchant of Venice, p. 19. 

% Chronological Order of Shakespeare's Plays, by the Rev. H. P. Stokes 
(London, 1878), p. 116. 

§ So "Zounds" and "by the mass" in ii. 3 are found in the quarto 
but not in the folio. The Camb. editors also remark that this shows 
that the MS. from which the former ed. was printed had not recently 
been used as an acting copy. 



I2 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

These dramas all end in confusion and sorrow, as those 
of a later period — Hie Tempest, Cymbeli?ie, and The Winter's 
Tale — close with reconciliation and peace. * 

It must, however, be borne in mind that at the date as- 
sumed for the production of Othello Shakespeare was in the 
full maturity of his powers. He had already written Hamlet, 
and Macbeth and Lear were soon to follow. It seems fitting 
that these " four great tragedies " should be associated in 
their time of composition as in the pre-eminent rank they 
hold among the poet's works. There is no other such group 
in the literature of any country or any age.t 

It may be added that the earliest known reference to the 
play is found in the MS. diary of Hans Jacob Wurmsser von 
Vendenhagen, who accompanied Louis Frederick, Duke of 
Wurtemberg-Mumpelgard in his diplomatic mission to Eng- 
land in i6to on behalf of the Protestant German princes. 

* Dowden adds: "It is not, as in the earlier comedies — The Two 
Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, etc.— a 
mere denouement ; the resolution of the discords in these latest plays is 
not a mere stage necessity, or a necessity of composition resorted to by 
the dramatist to effect an ending of his play, and little interesting his 
imagination or his heart ; its significance here is ethical and spiritual, it 
is a moral necessity." 

Compare Furnivall's classification of the plays, given in our ed. of As 
You Like It, p. 25. 

t As to the position which Othello is to hold among the four, the best 
critics do not agree ; but there have not been wanting those who assigned 
it the foremost place. Macaulay expresses the opinion that it "is per- 
haps the greatest work in the world." Wordsworth says : "The tragedy 
of Othello, Plato's records of the last scenes in the career of Socrates, and 
fzaak Walton's Life of George Herbert are the most pathetic of human 
compositions ;" and again, in one of his Sonnets, referring to books, 
he says : 

" There find I personal themes, a plenteous store, 

Matter wherein right voluble I am, 

To which I listen wnh a ready ear; 

Two shall be named, pre-eminently dear, — 

The gentle lady married to the Moor, 

And heavenly Una with her milk-white lamb." 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

In this little volume, preserved in the British Museum, we 
read under date of April 30, 16 10 : " S. E. alia au Globe, 
lieu ordinaire ou Ton joue les commedies ; y fut representee 
l'histoire du More de Venise." There can be little doubt 
that this refers to Shakespeare's play. 

II. THE SOURCES OF THE PLOT. 

The story of Othello appears to have been taken from the 
Heccatommithi of Giraldi Cinthio, an Italian novelist, first 
published at Monte-Regale, in Sicily, in 1565. Of the tale 
and the use that Shakespeare has made of it, Verplanck re- 
marks : 

"The following is the outline of the original story; suffi- 
cient to enable the reader to judge of the extent of the Eng- 
lish dramatist's obligations to the Italian novelist ; which are 
much less than is commonly supposed by those who take 
their ideas of the Italian story from some of the critics, and 
suppose it to be a novel, filled with dialogue and sentiment, 
instead of a meagre tale, not longer than one act of Othello. 

" There lived at Venice a valiant Moor, held in great esteem 
for his military talent and services. Desdemona, a lady of 
marvellous beauty, attracted not by female fancy (appetito 
donnesco\ but by his high virtues, became enamoured of the 
Moor, who returned her love ; and, in spite of the opposition 
of her relations, married her. They lived in great happiness 
in Venice until the Moor (he has no other name in the story) 
was chosen to the military command of Cyprus, whither his 
wife insisted on accompanying him. He took with him a 
favourite ensign, a man of great personal beauty, but of the 
most depraved heart — a boaster and a coward. His wife is 
the friend of Desdemona. The ensign falls passionately in 
love with Desdemona, who, wrapped up in love of her hus- 
band, pays no regard to him. His love then turns to bitter 
hate, and he resolves to charge her with infidelity, and to 
fix the Moor's suspicions upon a favourite captain of his. 



I4 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OE VENICE. 

Soon after, that officer strikes and wounds a soldier on 
guard, for which the Moor cashiers him. Desdemona en- 
deavours to obtain his pardon ; and this gives the ensign an 
opportunity of insinuating accusations against her, and rous- 
ing the Moor's jealousy. These suspicions he confirms by 
stealing from her a favourite worked handkerchief, and leav- 
ing it on the captain's bed. Then the Moor and his ensign 
plot together to kill Desdemona and her supposed lover. 
The latter is waylaid and wounded in the dark by the en- 
sign. Desdemona is beaten to death by him also ' with a 
stocking filled with sand;' and then the Moor and he at- 
tempt to conceal their murder by pulling down the ceiling, 
and giving out that she was killed by the fall of a beam. 
The Moor becomes almost frantic with his loss — turns upon 
the ensign, whom he degrades and drives from him. The 
ensign revenges himself by disclosing the murder to the 
captain, upon whose accusation to the senate the Moor is 
arrested, tried, tortured, and then banished, and afterwards 
killed by Desdemona's relations. 

"The tale has little beauty of style, power of narration, or 
vivid delineation of character. Indeed, none of the person- 
ages, except Desdemona, have any name, nor any distinctly 
and naturally drawn character; nor has the narrative any of 
that charm of expression and sentiment which has made 
others of the Italian stories, through ' old Boccaccio's lore 
or Dryden's lay,' a portion of the popular literature of every 
civilized nation. Its merit consists in the air of reality and 
apparent truth of the story ; which, I can scarcely doubt, 
was in substance drawn from real events preserved in the 
traditionary or judicial history of Venice. 

Shakespeare owes to it the general plan of his plot, and 
the suggestion of the first passion and the character of Des- 
demona, which, however, he has softened and elevated as 
well as expanded. The peculiarities and minuter incidents 
of the story give to the drama a character of reality such as 



INTRODUCTION. 



*5 



pure invention can seldom attain. He has also some obliga- 
tion to Cinthio for the artful and dark insinuations by which 
Iago first rouses the Moor's suspicions. But all else that is 
essentially poetic or dramatic is the poet's own. Cinthio's 
savage Moor and cunning ensign have scarcely any thing in 
common with the heroic, the gentle, the terrible Othello, or 
with Iago's proud, contemptuous intellect, bitter wit, cool 
malignity, and 'learned spirit.' Cassio and Emilia owe to 
Shakespeare all their individuality : Roderigo, Brabantio, 
and the rest, are entirely his creation." 

III. CRITICAL COMMENTS ON THE PLAY. 
[F?'om Mrs. Jameson's " Characteristics of Women."*} 

The love of Desdemona for Othello appears at first such a 
violation of all probabilities that her father at once imputes 
it to magic, " to spells and mixtures powerful o'er the blood." 

" She, in spite of nature, 
Of years, of country, credit, every thing, 
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on !" 

And the devilish malignity of Iago, whose coarse mind can- 
not conceive an affection founded purely in sentiment, de- 
rives from her love itself a strong argument against her. 

" Ay, there 's the point, as to be bold with you, 
Not to affect any proposed matches 
Of her own clime, complexion, and degree, 
Whereto, we see, in all things nature tends," etc. 

Notwithstanding this disparity of age, character, country, com- 
plexion, we, who are admitted into the secret, see her love rise 
naturally and necessarily out of the leading propensities of 
her nature. 

At the period of the story a spirit of wild adventure had 
seized all Europe. The discovery of both Indies was yet re- 
cent ; over the shores of the western hemisphere still fable 
* American ed. (Boston, 1857), p. 241 fol. 



!6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

and mystery hung, with all their dim enchantments, visionary 
terrors, and golden promises ! perilous expeditions and dis- 
tant voyages were every day undertaken from hope of plun- 
der, or mere love of enterprise ; and from these the adven- 
turers returned with tales of "antres vast and desarts wild — 
of cannibals that did each other eat — of Anthropophagi, and 
men whose heads did grow beneath their shoulders." With 
just such stones did Raleigh and Clifford, and their follow- 
ers, return from the New World : and thus by their splendid 
or fearful exaggerations, which the imperfect knowledge of 
those times could not refute, was the passion for the roman- 
tic and marvellous nourished at home, particularly among the 
women. A cavalier of those days had no nearer, no surer 
way to his mistress's heart than by entertaining her with these 
wondrous narratives. What was a general feature of his time, 
Shakspeare seized and adapted to his purpose with the most 
exquisite felicity of effect. Desdemona, leaving her house- 
hold cares in haste, to hang breathless on Othello's tales, was 
doubtless a picture from the life ; and her inexperience and 
her quick imagination lend it an added propriety : then her 
compassionate disposition is interested by all the disastrous 
chances, hair-breadth 'scapes, and moving accidents by flood 
and field, of which he has to tell \ and her exceeding gentle- 
ness and timidity, and her domestic turn of mind, render her 
more easily captivated by the military renown, the valour, and 
lofty bearing of the noble Moor — 

" And to his honours and his valiant parts 
Does she her soul and fortunes consecrate." 

The confession and the excuse for her love are well placed in 
the mouth of Desdemona, while the history of the rise of that 
love, and of his course of wooing, is, with the most grace- 
ful propriety, as far as she is concerned, spoken by Othello, 
and in her absence. The last two lines summing up the 
whole — 



IN TROD UCTION. 1 7 

"She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, 
And I lov'd her that she did pity them " — 

comprise whole volumes of sentiment and metaphysics. 

Desdemona displays at times a transient energy, arising 
from the power of affection, but gentleness gives the pre- 
vailing tone to the character — gentleness in its excess — 
gentleness verging on passiveness — gentleness, which not 
only cannot resent, but cannot resist. 

" Othello. And then, of so gentle a condition ! 

" Iago. Ay, too gentle. 

" Othello. Nay, that 's certain." 

Here the exceeding softness of Desdemona's temper is 
turned against her by Iago, so that it suddenly strikes Othello 
in a new point of view, as the inability to resist temptation • 
but to us who perceive the character as a whole, this extreme 
gentleness of nature is yet delineated with such exceeding re- 
finement that the effect never approaches to feebleness. It 
is true that once her extreme timidity leads her in a moment 
of confusion and terror to prevaricate about the fatal hand- 
kerchief. This handkerchief, in the original story of Cinthio, 
is merely one of those embroidered handkerchiefs which were 
as fashionable in Shakspeare's time as in our own ; but the 
minute description of it as " lavorato alia moresca sottilissi- 
mamente,"* suggested to the poetical fancy of Shakspeare 
one of the most exquisite and characteristic passages in the 
whole play. Othello makes poor Desdemona believe that the 
handkerchief was a talisman : 

" There 's magic in the web of it. 
A sibyl, that had number'd in the world 
The sun to make two hundred compasses, 
In her prophetic fury sew'd the work ; 
The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk ; 
And it was dyed in mummy, which the skilful 
Conserv'd of maidens' hearts." 

* Which, being interpreted into modern English, means, I believe, noth- 
ing more than that the pattern was what we now call arabesque. 

B 



!8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

Desdemona, whose soft credulity, whose turn for the mar- 
vellous, whose susceptible imagination, had first directed her 
thoughts and affections to Othello, is precisely the woman to 
be frightened out of her senses by such a tale as this, and be- 
trayed by her fears into a momentary tergiversation. It is 
most natural in such a being, and shows us that even in the 
sweetest natures there can be no completeness and consis- 
tency without moral energy.* . . . 

When Othello first outrages her in a manner which ap- 
pears inexplicable, she seeks and finds excuses for him. 
She is so innocent that not only she cannot believe her- 
self suspected, but she cannot conceive the existence of 
guilt in others. 

" Something, sure, of state, 
Either from Venice, or some unhatch'd practice 
Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him, 
Hath puddled his clear spirit. 

'T is even so — 
Nay, we must think, men are not gods, 
Nor of them look for such observances 
As fit the bridal." 

And when the direct accusation of crime is flung on her in 
the vilest terms, it does not anger but stun her, as if it trans- 
fixed her whole being ■ she attempts no reply, no defence \ 
and reproach or resistance never enters her thought. 

* There is an incident in the original tale, II Moro di Venezia, which 
could not well be transferred to the drama, but which is very effective, 
and adds, I think, to the circumstantial horrors of the story. Desdemona 
does not accidentally drop the handkerchief; it is stolen from her by 
Iago's little child, an infant of three years old, whom he trains and bribes 
to the theft. The love of Desdemona for this child, her little playfellow 
— the pretty description of her taking it in her arms and caressing it, 
while it profits by its situation to steal the handkerchief from her bosom, 
are well imagined and beautifully told ; and the circumstance of Iago em- 
ploying his own innocent child as the instrument of his infernal villany 
adds a deeper, and, in truth, an unnecessary touch of the fiend to his fiend- 
ish character. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

" Good friend, go to him — for by this light of heaven 
I know not how I lost him : here I kneel : — 
If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love, 
Either in discourse of thought or actual deed ; 
Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense, 
Delighted them in any other form ; 
Or that I do not yet, and ever did, 
And ever will, though he do shake me off 
To beggarly divorcement, love him dearly, 
Comfort forswear me ! Unkindness may do much, 
And his unkindness may defeat my life, 
But never taint my love." 

And there is one stroke of consummate delicacy, surpris- 
ing, when we remember the latitude of expression prevail- 
ing in Shakspeare's time, and which he allowed to his other 
women generally : she says, on recovering from her stupe- 
faction— 

" Am I that name, Iago ? 
" Iago. What name, sweet lady? 
" Desdemona. That which she says my lord did say I was." 

So completely did Shakspeare enter into the angelic refine- 
ment of the character. 

Endued with that temper which is the origin of superstition 
in love as in religion — which, in fact, makes love itself a re- 
ligion — she not only does not utter an upbraiding, but noth- 
ing that Othello does or says, no outrage, no injustice, can 
tear away the charm with which her imagination had invested 
him, or impair her faith in his honour ; " Would you had never 
seen him !" exclaims Emilia. 

"Desdemona. So would not I ! — my love doth so approve him, 
That even his stubbornness, his checks and frowns 
Have grace and favour in them." 

There is another peculiarity, which, in reading the play of 
Othello ', we rather feel than "perceive : through the whole of 
the dialogue appropriated to Desdemona there is not one 
general observation. Words are with her the vehicle of sen- 



20 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

timent, and never of reflection ; so that I cannot find through- 
out a sentence of general application. The same remark ap- 
plies to Miranda \ and to no other female character of any 
importance or interest — not even to Ophelia. 

The rest of what I washed to say of Desdemona has been 
anticipated by an anonymous critic, and so beautifully, so 
justly, so eloquently expressed, that I with pleasure erase my 
own page, to make room for his. 

" Othello" observes this writer, " is no love story \ all that 
is below tragedy in the passion of love is taken away at once, 
by the awful character of Othello; for such he seems to us to 
be designed to be. He appears never as a lover, but at once 
as a husband; and the relation of his love made dignified, as 
it is a husband's justification of his. marriage, is also dignified, 
as it is a soldier's relation of his stern and perilous life. His 
love itself, as long as it is happy, is perfectly calm and serene 
— the protecting "tenderness of a husband. It is not till it is 
disordered that it appears as a passion : then is shown a 
power in contention with itself — a mighty being struck with 
death, and bringing up from all the depths of life convulsions 
and agonies. It is no exhibition of the power of the passion 
of love, but of the passion of life, vitally wounded, and self- 
overmastering. If Desdemona had been really guilty, the 
greatness would have been destroyed, because his love would 
have been unworthy, false. But she is good, and his love is 
most perfect, just, and good. That a man should place his 
perfect love on a wretched thing is miserably- debasing, and 
shocking to thought ; but that loving perfectly and well, he 
should by hellish human circumvention be brought to dis- 
trust and dread, and abjure his own perfect love, is most 
mournful indeed — it is the infirmity of our good nature wrest- 
ling in vain with the strong powers of evil. Moreover, he 
would, had Desdemona been false, have been the mere victim 
of fate ; whereas he is now in a manner his own victim. His 
happy love was heroic tenderness; his injured love is terri- 



INTROD UCTION. 2 1 

ble passion; and disordered power, engendered within itself 
to its own destruction, is the height of all tragedy. 

"The character of Othello is perhaps the most greatly 
drawn, the most heroic of any of Shakspeare's actors ; but 
it is, perhaps, that one also of which his reader last acquires 
the intelligence. The intellectual and warlike energy of his 
mind — his tenderness of affection — his loftiness of spirit 
— his frank, generous magnanimity — impetuosity like a 
thunderbolt — and that dark, fierce flood of boiling passion, 
polluting even his imagination — compose a character en- 
tirely original, most difficult to delineate, but perfectly de- 
lineated." 

Emilia in this play is a perfect portrait from common life, 
a masterpiece in the Flemish style ; and though not neces- 
sary as a contrast, it cannot be but that the thorough vulgar- 
ity, the loose principles of this plebeian woman, united to a 
high degree of spirit, energetic feeling, strong sense, and low 
cunning, serve to place in brighter relief the exquisite refine- 
ment, the moral grace, the unblemished truth, and the soft 
submission of Desdemona. 

[From Verplanck's " Shakespeare"*'] 
Within a few years, a new view of Othello's character has 
been maintained by Schlegel, which has found favour with 
several English critics, who have repeated it in various 
forms. It is that in Othello the poet has painted not gen- 
eral nature, but the half-civilized African prince. Schlegel 
recognizes in him "the wild nature of that glowing zone 
which generates the most furious beasts of prey, and the 
most deadly poisons, tamed only in appearance by the de- 
sire of fame, by foreign laws of honour, and by gentler man- 
ners. His jealousy," says the German critic, "is not of the 
heart, which is compatible with the tenderest feeling and 

* The Illustrated Shakespeare, edited by G. C. Verplanck (New York, 
1847), vol. iii. p. 61 of Othello. 



22 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

adoration of the beloved object ; it is of that sensual sort 
which in torrid climes gives birth to the imprisonment of 
wives and other barbarous usages. A drop of this poison 
flows in the Moor's veins, and all his blood is inflamed. He 
seems, and is, noble, frank, confiding, grateful, a hero, a 
worthy general, a faithful servant of the State ; but the physi- 
cal force of passion puts to flight at once all his acquired 
and accustomed virtues, and gives the savage within him the 
rule over the moral man. The tyranny of the blood over the 
will betrays itself in his desire of revenge against Cassio. 
In his repentant sorrow, a genuine tenderness for his mur- 
dered wife bursts forth, with the painful sentiment of annihi- 
lated reputation, and he assails himself with the rage which 
a despot displays in punishing a runaway slave. He suffers 
as a double man ; at once in the higher and the lower sphere 
into which his being is divided." 

All this is ingenious, original, and eloquent ; yet to my 
mind widely different from the poet's intention, and the act- 
ual character he has so vividly portrayed. 

So far as the passions of love and jealousy are the results 
of our common nature, their manifestations must be alike in 
the Moor and the European ; differing only as modified by 
the more quickly excited and inflammable temperament of 
the children of the sun, or the slower and steadier tempera- 
ment of the men of the North. But the critic confounds 
with this difference another one — that resulting from the 
degraded and enslaved state of woman in the half-civilized 
nations of the East. There the jealous revenge of the 
master-husband, for real or imagined evil, is but the angry 
chastisement of an offending slave, not the terrible sacrifice 
of his own happiness involved in the victim's punishment. 
When woman is a slave, a property, a thing, all that jealousy 
may prompt is done, to use Othello's own distinction, "in 
hate " and "not in love." But Othello is portrayed with no 
single trait in common with the tyrant of the Eastern or 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

African seraglio. His early love is not one of wild passion, 
but of esteem for Desdemona's gentle virtue, of gratitude for 
her unlooked-for interest in himself and his history, and of 
pride in her strong attachment. The poet has laboured to 
show that his is the calm and steady affection of " a con- 
stant, noble nature ;" it is respectful, confiding, " wrapt up in 
measureless content," and manifesting a tender and protect- 
ing superiority which has in it something almost parental. 
In his jealousy and revenge, he resembles not the Mahome- 
tan so much as the proud and sensitive Castilian. He is 
characterized by all the higher qualities of European chiv- 
alry, and especially by that quick sense of personal reputa- 
tion "which feels a stain like a wound," and makes his own 
life and that of others alike cheap in his eyes compared with 
his honour. It is this, together with the other habits and 
characteristics of one trained in an adventurous military life, 
by which he is individualized. He is made a Moor, not be- 
cause that is at all necessary to the story, but because the 
poet found it in the iale from which he derived the outline 
of his plot; and it was adopted as an incident plastic to his 
purpose, and by its peculiarity giving that air of reality to 
the story which accidental and unessential circumstances, 
such as pure imagination would not have indicated, can 
alone confer. It is on this account indeed that the original 
tale itself, to my mind, has not the appearance of a product 
of fancy, but seems, like many of our traditionary romantic 
narratives, founded upon some occurrence in real life. 

Othello's Moorish blood is thus (to use a logical phrase) 
an accident, distinguishing the individual character, and add- 
ing to it the effect of life and reality ; but it is not in any 
sense essential to its sentiment or passion. The tone of 
chivalrous honour and military bearing is much more so, 
and yet that serves only to modify and colour the exhibition 
of passions common to civilized man. The history and do- 
mestic traditions and legal records of Spain and Italy — and 



24 OTHELLO, TLLE MOOR OF VENICE. 

even of Germany, England, and America — can exhibit many 
an instance, in coarser and unpoetical forms, of jealous re- 
venge as fatal as that of the Moor. Even while this edi- 
tion is passing through the press, the newspapers relate two 
such bloody stories as having recently occurred in private 
life within the United States ; and the jealous murderer was 
in one instance an Englishman, and in the other a French- 
man. 

Were Othello but the spirited portrait of a half-tamed bar- 
barian, we should view him as a bold and happy poetical 
conception, and, as such, the poet's work might satisfy our 
critical judgment ; but it is because it depicts a noble mind, 
wrought by deep passion and dark devices to agonies such 
as every one might feel, that it awakens our strongest sympa- 
thies. We see in this drama a grand and true moral pict- 
ure ; we read in it a profound ethical lesson ; for (to borrow 
the just image of the classical Lowth) while the matchless 
work is built up to the noblest height of poetry, it rests 
upon the deepest foundations of true philosophy. 

These notes upon Othello cannot be more appropriately 
closed than by the remarkable criticism of Bishop Lowth 
(just alluded to) contained in his Lectures on Hebrew 
Poetry, which, often before quoted in its original exquisite 
Latinity, deserves to be more familiarly known to the Eng- 
lish reader : 

" He whose genius has unfolded to him the knowledge of 
man's nature and the force of his passions ; has taught him 
the causes by which the soul is moved to strong emotions, 
or calmed to rest ; has enabled him not only to explain in 
words those emotions, but to exhibit them vividly to other 
eyes ; thus ruling, exciting, distracting, soothing our feelings 
— this man, however little aided by the discipline of learn- 
ing, is, in my judgment, a philosopher of the highest rank. 
In this manner, in a single dramatic fable of our own Shak- 
speare, the passion of jealousy, its causes, progress, incidents, 



INTRODUCTION. 



25 



and effects, have been more truly, more acutely, more copi- 
ously, and more impressively delineated than has been done 
by all the disquisitions of all the philosophers who have 
treated on this dark argument." 

[From Ulricas " Shakspeare 's Dramatic Art"*'] 

It is a singular mistake when Schlegel, and with him 
most critics, wish us to see in Othello only the Moor, who, 
because a Moor, has unavoidably fallen into the blind pas- 
sionateness, the jealousy, and the thirst for revenge peculiar 
to his race ; it is also a singular mistake that they make the 
brutal ferocity of the common negro the essence of Othello's 
character, and degrade his virtues into mere artificial habits, 
mere empty appearances. . . . 

It is not only untrue that Othello's bloody deeds are sup- 
posed to be the bursting forth of his common nature, of his 
innate brutal ferocity, but even the accusation of the blind 
jealousy and vindictiveness laid to his charge is a thoroughly 
false imputation. . . ^ That jealousy is not actually part of 
his nature, not one of the fundamental features of his charac- 
ter, that in truth he possesses only as much of it as all men, 
is attested not only by Iago's praise of his " free and open 
nature " — which plainly absolves him from any tendency to 
suspicion, the presupposition of jealousy — it is corroborated 
not only by his own testimony (iii. 3), not only by the words 
spoken in face of his voluntary death and attested by it 
(" Speak of me as I am ; nothing extenuate," etc.), but is 
above all proved by his own conduct. If Shakspeare had 
wished to make jealousy the centre of his character, why 
does Othello nowhere give utterance to it before he is ex- 
cited and spurred on to it by Iago ? Not a word of anxiety,' 
of uneasiness, or of suspicion passes his lips, not a thought 
of the possibility of Desdemona's infidelity is in his heart. 

* Shakspeare 1 s Dramatic Art, by Dr. Hermann Ulrici ; translated from 
the third German ed. by L. D. Schmitz (London, 1876), vol. i. p. 404 fol. 



26 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VEXICE. 

Even Iago's assertions are by no means trusted at once • 
Othello demands proofs, striking, irresistible proofs. It is 
only when he thinks that he has the evidence clearly in his 
hands that there first springs forth that jealousy which had 
hitherto existed but as a germ ; being, however, matured by 
his hot blood, by his excitable feelings, and the glowing 
power of his imagination, it spreads like wild-fire. . . . But 
the man who has reasons for being jealous is himself not 
actually jealous. The nature of the passion consists rather 
in the fact that it invariably seeks for something where noth- 
ing is to be found. The passion of pain and anger about 
actual infidelity is as justifiable as that excited by any other 
moral offence committed by the one we love. Nevertheless 
Othello's pain and rage have externally the appearance of 
jealousy, partly on account of the vehemence with which he 
expresses himself, partly because the proofs are as yet proofs 
only for him^ in reality no proofs, or because it is his misfort- 
une to be inexpressibly belied and deceived. . . . 

It is much the same as regards Othello's vindictiveness. 
In the first place, it is again Iago who testifies to his being 
of a " loving, noble nature." Now a noble loving person 
cannot possibly be revengeful ; the spirit of revenge, like all 
other weaknesses, may indeed be in his nature as a germ, but 
it cannot be one of the fundamental features and motives of 
his character. ... In the second place, how forbearing and 
conciliatory Othello is to Brabantio ! Although the latter 
heaps upon him the severest and most unjust abuse, yet 
Othello answers him with gentleness and respect. In like 
manner he bears the mortification of his recall from Cyprus 
with calmness and resignation. In both cases, we rather 
perceive a manly pride, a noble dignity such as is usually 
coupled with true greatness, which, being conscious of its 
own worth, overlooks unjust abuse. . . . The seed of revenge 
shoots forth in his breast only after he is completely es- 
tranged from himself. Love and honour are the very founda- 



IN TROD UCTION. 



27 



tions of his life. In Desdemona he has found his own in- 
most self; in believing her lost, he loses himself, her infi- 
delity makes him untrue to himself. . . . 

It is only when he supposes that love is lost to him, when 
he supposes himself betrayed by his wife and his friend, 
when he is desolate and unable to love any other being, it is 
then only that, with the blind despair of a shipwrecked man, 
he clutches hold of the last possession he has kept afloat, 
his sole remaining property — honour ; this, at least, he intends 
to save for himself. His honour, as he thinks, demands the 
sacrifice of the lives of Desdemona and Cassio. The ideas 
of honour in those days, especially in Italy, inevitably re- 
quired the death of the faithless wife as well as that of the 
adulterer. Othello therefore regards it as his duty to com- 
ply with this requirement, and accordingly it is no lie when 
he calls himself "an honourable murderer," doing "naught 
in hate, but all in honour." , . . Common thirst for revenge 
would have thought only of increasing the sufferings of its 
victim, of adding to its own satisfaction. But how touching, 
on the other hand, is Othello's appeal to Desdemona to pray 
and to confess her sins to Heaven, that he may not kill her 
soul with her body ! Here, at the moment of the most in- 
tense excitement, in the desperate mood of a murderer, his 
love still breaks forth, and we again see the indestructible 
nobility of his soul. 

[From Dowderfs " Shakspere"*~\ 

The tragedy of Othello is the tragedy of a free and lordly 
creature taken in the toils, and writhing to death. In one of 
his sonnets Shakspere has spoken of 

" Some fierce thing replete with too much rage, 
Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart." 

Such a fierce thing, made weak by his very strength, is Othello. 

* Shakspere : a Critical Study of his Mind and A?'t, by Edward Dow- 
den (2d ed. London, 1876), p. 230 fol. 



2 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

There is a barbaresque grandeur and simplicity about the 
movements of his soul. He sees things with a large and gen- 
erous eye, not prying into the curious or the occult. He is a 
liberal accepter of life, and with a careless magnificence wears 
about him the ornament of strange experience : memories of 

" antres vast, and desarts idle, 
Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven," 

memories of "disastrous chances, of moving accidents by 
flood and field." There is something of grand innocence in 
his loyalty to Venice, by which Mr. Browning was not un- 
affected when he conceived his Moorish commander, Luria. 
Othello, a stranger, with tawny skin and fierce traditions 
in his blood, is fascinated by the grave senate, the nobly or- 
dered life (possessing a certain rich colouring of its own), 
and the astute intelligence of the City of the Sea. . . . 

With this loyalty to Venice, there is also an instinctive 
turning towards the barbaric glory which he has surren- 
dered. He is the child of royal ancestry: "I fetch my life 
and being from men of royal siege." All the more joyous 
on this account it is to devote himself to the service of the 
State 

The nature of Othello is free and open ; he looks on men 
with a gaze too large and royal to suspect them of malignity 
and fraud ; he is a man " not easily jealous :" 

" My noble Moor 
Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness 
As jealous creatures are." 

He has, however, a sense of his own inefficiency in dealing 
with the complex and subtle conditions of life in his adopted 
country. Where all is plain and broad, he relies upon his 
own judgment and energy. He is a master of simple, com- 
manding action. When, upon the night of Desdemona's de- 
parture from her father's house, Brabantio and the officers 
with torches and weapons meet him, and a tumult seems in- 



INTRODUCTION, 



29 



evitable, Othello subdues it with the untroubled, large valid- 
ity of his will : 

"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.'' 
But for curious inquiry into complex facts he has no faculty \ 
he loses his bearings ; " being wrought upon," he is " per- 
plexed in the extreme. " Then, too, his hot Mauritanian blood 
mounts quickly to the point of boiling. If he be infected, 
the poison hurries through his veins, and he rages in his 
agony. 

Here upon the one side is material for a future catas- 
trophe. And on the other there is Desdemona's timidity. 
When she could stand by Othello's side, Desdemona was 
able to confront her father, and, in presence of the Duke 
and magnificoes, declare that she would not return to the 
home she had abandoned. But during Othello's courtship 
Desdemona had shrunk from any speech upon this matter 
with Brabantio, and by innocent reserves and little dissem- 
blings had kept him in ignorance of this great event in her 
history/* The Moor had moved her imagination by his 
strange nobility, his exotic grandeur. But how if afterwards 
her imagination be excited by some strange terror about her 
husband ? . . . The handkerchief she has lost becomes ter- 
rible to her, when Othello, with Oriental rapture into the 
marvellous, describes its virtues : 

"there 's magic in the web of it. 

A sibyl, that had number'd in the world 

The sun to course two hundred compasses, 

In her prophetic fury sew'd the work ; 

The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk ; 

And it was dyed in mummy which the skilful 

Conserv'd of maidens' hearts." 

* A circumstance which Iago afterwards turns to account against the 
peace of Othello's mind : 

" She did deceive her father marrying you ; 
And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks, 
She lov'd them most. 
"Othello. And so she did." 



3 o OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

For Desdemona, with her smooth, intelligible girl's life in 
Venice, having at its largest its little pathetic romance of 
her maid Barbara, with her song of " Willow," here flowed in 
romance too stupendous, too torrid and alien, to be other 
than dreadful. Shall we wonder that in her disturbance of 
mind she trembles to declare to her husband that this tal- 
isman could not be found ? Underneath the momentary, 
superficial falsehood remains the constancy and fidelity of 
her heart ; through alarm and shock and surprise and 
awful alteration of the world her heart never swerves from 
loyalty to her husband. If she had deceived Brabantio, as 
in his anger he declares, and if in this matter of the hand- 
kerchief she had faltered from the truth, Desdemona atones 
for these unveracities ; not by acquisition of a confident 
candour — such courageous dealing was impossible for Des- 
demona — but by one more falsehood, the sacred lie which 
is murmured by her lips as they grow forever silent : 

" Emilia. O, who hath done this deed ? 
"Desdemona. Nobody; I myself ; farewell; 
Commend me to my kind lord ; O, farewell !" 

If the same unknowable force which manifests itself 
through man manifests itself likewise through the animal 
world, we might suppose that there were some special af- 
finities between the soul of Othello and the lion of his an- 
cestral desert. Assuredly the same malignant power that 
lurks in the eve and that fills with venom the fan£ of the 
serpent would seem to have brought into existence Iago. 
"It is the strength of the base element that is so dreadful 
in the serpent ; it is the very omnipotence of the earth. . . . 
It scarcely breathes with its one lung (the other shrivelled 
and abortive) ; it is passive to the sun and shade, and is 
cold or hot like a stone ; yet 'it can outclimb the monkey, 
outswim the fish, outleap the zebra, outwrestle the athlete, 
and crush the tiger/ It is a divine hieroglyph of the de- 



INTRO D UC TION. 



31 



moniac power of the earth — of the entire earthly nature. "* 
Such is the serpent Iago. 

In the last scene of the play Othello calls on Cassio (for 
he cannot himself approach the horror) to interrogate Iago 
respecting the motives of his malignant crime; 

" Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil 
Why he hath thus ensnar'd my soul and body?" 

And Iago forecloses all inquiry with the words — they are the 

last words that he utters : 

" Demand me nothing ; what you know you know; 
From this time forth I never will speak word." 

Shakspere would have us believe that as there is a passion 
of goodness with no motive but goodness itself, so there is 
also a dreadful capacity in the soul for devotion to evil in- 
dependently of motives, or out of all proportion to such mo- 
tives as may exist. Iago is the absolute infidel ; for he is 
devoid of all faith in beauty and in virtue. Timon disbelieves, 
but he becomes desperate and abandons life. Iago finds it 
right and natural to live in a world in which all men are 
knaves or fools, and all women are that which Desdemona 
is unable to name. 

Together with every thing beautiful, every thing noble, 
there inevitably exists a gross element of the earth. It is 
upon this gross element alone that Iago battens, and he can 
discover it everywhere by denying and dismissing all that 
transforms, purifies, and ennobles it. Othello, with his he- 
roic simplicity and royalty of soul, 

" Will as tenderly be led by the nose 
As asses are." 

Cassio, who is full of chivalric enthusiasm for his great leader 
and the beautiful bride whom he has won, is to Iago " a 
knave very voluble ; no further conscionable than in putting 

* Ruskin, The Queen of the Ai7\ The words quoted by Mr. Ruskin 
are those of Mr. Richard Owen. 



32 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

on the mere form of civil and humane feeling, for the better 
compassing of his salt and most hidden loose affection." 
Desdemona, exclaims Roderigo, is "full of most blessed con- 
dition." 

" Iago. Blessed fig's end ! the wine she drinks is made of grapes : if she 
had been blessed she would never have loved the Moor. Blessed pud- 
ding ! Didst thou not see her paddle with the palm of his hand ? Didst 
not mark that ?" 

The Moor has inflamed her imagination with " bragging 
and telling her fantastical lies." Love " is merely a lust of 
the blood and a permission of the will." Virtue is "a fig! 
\ is in ourselves that we are thus and thus." " O, I have lost 
my reputation !" Cassio cries, " I have lost the immortal part 
of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, 
my reputation !" 

"Iago. As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some 
bodily wound." 

All this is the earthiness of the serpent ; the dull eye which 
quickens only to fascinate and to strike ; the muddy skin, 
discoloured with foul blotches ; and the dust, which is the 
serpent's meat. This cold, malignant power, passionless and 
intellectually sensual — the soul itself having become more 
animal than the body can ever be — is incarnated in the per- 
son of a man still young. Iago has reached the age of twenty- 
eight. And he is a merry knave. While enticing Cassio to 
his ruin he entertains the company with clattering song: 

" And let me the canakin clink, clink ! 
And let me the canakin clink !" 

It is the grin of a death's head, the mirth of a ghoul. . . . 

Since Coleridge made the remark, all critics of Othello are 
constrained to repeat after him that the passion of the Moor 
is not altogether jealousy — it is rather the agony of being 
compelled to hate that which he supremely loved : 



INTRODUCTION. 33 

" Excellent wretch ! Perdition catch my soul 
But I do love thee, and when I love thee not 
Chaos is come again." 

It is with an agonized sense of justice that he destroys the 
creature who is dearest to him in the world, knowing certain- 
ly that with hers his own true life must cease. Nay, it is not 
with the cessation of Desdemona's breath that the life of 
Othello ends ; he is unable to survive the loss of faith in her 
perfect purity. All that had been glorious becomes remote 
and impossible for him if Desdemona be false. We hear the 
great childlike sob of Othello's soul : 

" O now for ever 
Farewell the tranquil mind ! farewell content ! 
Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wars 
That make ambition virtue !" 

From the first suggestion of suspicion by his ensnarer, Othello 
is impatient for assurance, and finds suspense intolerable. 
Why ? Not surely because he is eager to convict his wife of 
infidelity; but rather because he will not allow his passionate 
desire to believe her pure to abuse him, and retain him in a 
fool's paradise, while a great agony may possibly remain be- 
fore him. 

Of the tragic story what is the final issue ? The central 
point of its spiritual import lies in the contrast between Iago 
and his victim. Iago, with keen intellectual faculties and 
manifold culture in Italian vice, lives and thrives after his 
fashion in a world from which all virtue and all beauty are 
absent. Othello, with his barbaric innocence and regal mag- 
nificence of soul, must cease to live the moment he ceases to 
retain faith in the purity and goodness which were to him the 
highest and most real things upon earth. Or if he live, life 
must become to him a cruel agony. Shakspere compels us 
to acknowledge that self-slaughter is a rapturous energy — 
that such prolonged agony is joy in comparison with the 
earthy life-in-death of such a soul as that of Iago. The 

C 



34 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

noble nature is taken in the toils because it is noble. Iago 
suspects his wife of every baseness, but the suspicion has no 
other effect than to intensify his malignity. Iago could not 
be captured and constrained to heroic suffering and rage. 
The shame of every being who bears the name of woman is 
credible to Iago, and yet he can grate from his throat the 
jarring music : 

" And let me the canakin clink, clink ! 
And let me the canakin clink !" 

There is, therefore, Shakspere would have us understand, 
something more inimical to humanity than suffering — name- 
ly, an incapacity for noble pain. To die as Othello dies is 
indeed grievous. But to live as Iago lives, devouring the 
dust and stinging — this is more appalling. 

Such is the spiritual motive that controls the tragedy. And 
the validity of this truth is demonstrable to every sound con- 
science. No supernatural authority needs to be summoned 
to bear witness to this reality of human life. No pallid flame 
of hell, no splendour of dawning heaven, needs show itself be- 
yond the verge of earth to illumine this truth. It is a por- 
tion of the ascertained fact of human nature, and of this our 
mortal existence. We look upon " the tragic loading of the 
bed," and we see Iago in presence of the ruin he has wrought. 
We are not compelled to seek for any resolution of these ap- 
parent discords in any alleged life to come. That may also 
be \ we shall accept it, if it be. But looking sternly and 
strictly at what is now actual and present to our sight, we 
yet rise above despair. Desdemona's adhesion to her hus- 
band and to love survived the ultimate trial. Othello dies 
"upon a kiss." He perceives his own calamitous error, and 
he recognizes Desdemona pure and loyal as she was. Good- 
ness is justified of her child. It is evil which suffers defeat. 
It is Iago whose whole existence has been most blind, pur- 
poseless, and miserable — a struggle against the virtuous 
powers of the world, by which at last he stands convicted 
and condemned. 





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DRAMA TJS PERSONM. \h & I 

!• Duke of Venice. 'u/iiftVl 

Brabantio, a senator. 

Other Senators. 
|v Gratiano, brother to Brabantio. 

Lodovico, kinsman to Brabantio. 

Othello, the Moor. 

Cassio, his lieutenant. 

Iago, his ancient. 

Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman. 

Montano, Othello's predecessor in the govern- 
ment of Cyprus. 

Clown, servant to Othello. 

Desdemona, daughter to Brabantio and wife 

to Othello. 
Emilia, wife to Iago. 
l||jf Bianca, mistress to Cassio. 

Sailor, Messenger, Herald, Officers, Gentlemen, 
Musicians, and Attendants. 

Scene; Venice ; a seaport hi Cyprus. 





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ST. MARK'S" AND THE DUCAL PALACE, VENICE. 



ACT I. 

Scene I. Venice. A Street. 
Enter Rodertgo and I ago. 

Roderigo. Tush ! never tell me ; I take it much unkindly 
That thou, I ago, who hast had my purse 
As if the strings were thine, should st know of this. 

/ago. 'Sblood, but you will not hear me ; 
If ever I did dream of such a matter, 
Abhor me. 

fioderigo. Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate. 

/ago. Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the 
city, 



38 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, 

Off-capp'd to him; and, by the faith of man, 10 

I know my price, I am worth no worse a place : 

But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, 

Evades them, with a bombast circumstance 

Horribly stuff 'd with epithets of war; 

And, in conclusion, 

Nonsuits my mediators ; for, ' Certes,' says he, 

' I have already chose my officer.' 

And what was he ? 

Forsooth, a great arithmetician, 

One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, 20 

A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife ; 

That never set a squadron in the field, 

Nor the division of a battle knows 

More than a spinster ; unless the bookish theoric, 

Wherein the toged consuls can propose 

As masterly as he : mere prattle, without practice, 

Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election ; 

And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof 

At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds 

Christian and heathen, must be be-lee'd and calm'd 30 

By debitor and creditor, this counter-caster : 

He, in good time, must his lieutenant be, 

And I — God bless the mark ! — his Moorship's ancient. 

Roderigo. By heaven, I rather would have been his hang- 
man. 

/ago. Why, there 's no remedy ; 't is the curse of service, 
^Preferment goes by letter and affection, 
And not by old gradation^)where each second 
Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself, 
Whether I in any just term am affin'd 
To love the Moor. 

Roderigo. I would not follow him then. 40 

/ago. O, sir, content you ; 



ACT I. SCENE I. 39 

(i follow him to serve my turn upon hirnJ: 
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters 
Cannot be truly follow'd. You shall mark 
Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave, 
That, doting on his own obsequious bondage, 
Wears out his time, much like his master's ass, 
For nought but provender, and when he 's old, cashier'd ; 
Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are 
Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty, 50 

Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves, 
And, throwing but shows of service on their lords, 
Do well thrive by them, and when they have lin'd their coats 
Do themselves homage : these fellows have some soul; 
And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir, 
It is as sure as you are Roderigo, 
Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago. 
In following him, I follow but myself; 
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, 
But seeming so, for my peculiar end : 6o 

For when my outward action doth demonstrate 
The native act and figure of my heart 
In compliment extern, 't is not long after 
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve 
For daws to peck at ; I am not what I am. 

Roderigo. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe, 
If he can carry 't thus ! 

Iago. Call up her father, 

Rouse him ; make after him, poison his delight, 
Proclaim him in the streets ; incense her kinsmen, 
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, 
Plague him with flies : though that his joy be joy, 
Yet throw such changes of vexation on 't, 
As it may lose some colour. 

Roderigo. Here is her father's house ; I '11 call aloud. 

Iago. Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell 



4 o OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

As when, by night and negligence, the fire 
Is spied in populous cities. 

Roderigo. What, ho, Brabantio ! Signior Brabantio, ho ! 

/ago. Awake ! what, ho, Brabantio ! thieves ! thieves ! 
thieves ! 
Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags ! 80 

Thieves ! thieves ! 

Brabantio appears above, at a window. 

Brabantio. What is the reason of this terrible summons? 
What is the matter there ? 

Roderigo. Signior, is all your family within ? 

Iago. Are your doors lock'd ? 

Brabantio. Why, wherefore ask you this? 

Iago. Zounds, sir, you 're robb'd ; for shame, put on your 
gown ; 
Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul : 
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, 
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you. 
Arise, I say. 

Brabantio. What, have you lost your wits? 90 

Roderigo. Most reverend signior, do you know my voice ? 

Brabantio. Not I ; what are you ? 

Roderigo. My name is Roderigo. \j 

Brabantio. The worser welcome ; 

I have charg'd thee not to haunt about my doors. 
In honest plainness thou hast heard me say 
My daughter is not for thee ; and now, in madness, 
Being full of supper and distempering draughts, 
Upon malicious bravery dost thou come 
To start my quiet. 

Roderigo. Sir, sir, sir, — 

Brabantio. But thou must needs be sure 100 

My spirit and my place have in them power 
To make this bitter to thee. 



ACT I. SCENE I. 41 

Roderigo. Patience, good sir. 

Brabantio. What tell'st thou me of robbing ? this is 
Venice ; 
My house is not a grange. 

Roderigo. Most grave Brabantio, 

In simple and pure soul I come to you. 

/ago. Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve 
God, if the devil bid you. 

Brabantio. Thou art a villain. 

/ago. You are — a senator. 

Brabantio. This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Rod- 
erigo. 

Roderigo. Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech you, 
If 't be your pleasure and most wise consent, m 

As partly I find it is, that your fair daughter, 
At this odd-even and dull watch o ? the night, 
Transported, with no worse nor better guard 
But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier, 
To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor, — 
If this be known to you and your allowance, 
We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs ; 
But if you know not this, my manners tell me 
We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe 120 

That, from the sense of all civility, 
I thus would play and trifle with your reverence : 
Your daughter, if you have not given her leave, 
I say again, hath made a gross revolt ; 
Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes 
In an extravagant and wheeling stranger 
Of here and every where. Straight satisfy yourself; 
If she be in her chamber or your house, 
Let loose on me the justice of the state 
For thus deluding you. 

Brabantio. Strike on the tinder, ho ! 130 

Give me a taper ! call up all my people ! — 



42 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

This accident is not unlike my dream ; 

Belief of it oppresses me already. — 

Light, I say ! light ! [Exit above. 

lago. Farewell ; for I must leave you. 

It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place, 
To be produc'd — as, if I stay, I shall — 
Against the Moor : for, I do know, the state, 
However this may gall him with some check, 
Cannot with safety cast him, for he 's embark'd 
With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars, 140 

Which even now stand in act, that, for their souls, 
Another of his fathom they have none, 
To lead their business : in which regard, 
Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, 
Yet, for necessity of present life, 
I must show out a flag and sign of love, 
Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him, 
Lead to the Sagittary the raised search \ 
And there will I be with him. So, farewell. [Exit. 

Enter, below, Brabantio, and Servants with torches. 

Brabantio. It is too true an evil : gone she is \ 150 

And what 's to come of my despised time 
Is nought but bitterness. — Now, Roderigo, 
Where didst thou see her ? — O unhappy girl ! 
With the Moor, say'st thou? — Who would be a father! — 
How didst thou know 't was she ? — O, she deceives me 
Past thought ! — What said she to you ? — Get more tapers ! 
Raise all my kindred ! — Are they married, think you ? 

Roderigo. Truly, I think they are. 

Brabantio. O heaven ! — How got she out ? — O treason of 
the blood ! — 
Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds 160 

By what you see them act. — Is there not charms 
By which the property of youth and maid hood 



ACT I SCENE II. 43 

May be abus'd ? Have you not read, Roderigo, 
Of some such thing ? 

Roderigo, Yes, sir, I have indeed. 

Brabantio. Call up my brother. — O, would you had had 
her!— 
Some one way, some another. — Do you know 
Where we may apprehend her and the Moor ? 

Roderigo. I think I can discover him, if you please 
To get good guard and go along with me. 

Braba?itio. Pray you, lead on. At every house I '11 call ; 
I may command at most. — Get weapons, ho ! 171 

And raise some special officers of night. — 
On, good Roderigo; I '11 deserve your pains. [Exeunt. 

Scene II. Another Street. 
Enter Othello, Iago, and Attendants with torches. 

/ago. Though in the trade of war I have slain men, 
Yet do I hold it very stuff o' the conscience 
To do no contriv'd murther ; I lack iniquity 
Sometimes to do me service. Nine or ten times 
I had thought to have yerk'd him here under the ribs. 

Othello. 'T is better as it is. 

Iago. Nay, but he prated, 

And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms 
Against your honour 
That, with the little godliness I have, 

I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir, 10 

Are you fast married ? Be assur'd of this, 
That the magniflco is much belov'd, 
And hath in his effect a voice potential 
As double as the duke's ; he will divorce you, 
Or put upon you what restraint and grievance 
The law, with ail his might to enforce it on, 
Will give him cable. 



/ 



44 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Othello. Let him do his spite ; 

My services which I have done the signiory 
Shall out-tongue his complaints. 'T is yet to know, — 
Which, when I know that boasting is an honour, ?o 

I shall promulgate — I fetch my life and being 
From men of royal siege, and my demerits 
May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune 
As this that I have reach'd ; for know, Iago, 
But that I love the gentle Desdemona, 
I would not my unhoused free condition 
Put into circumscription and confine 
For the sea's worth. But, look ! what lights come yond ? 

Iago. Those are the raised father and his friends ; 
You were best go in. 

Othdlo. Not I ; I must be found : 30 

My parts, my title, an.d(my perfect soul 
Shall manifest me rightly.! Is it they ? 

Iago. By Janus, I think no. 

Enter Cassio, and certain Officers with torches. 

Othello. The servants of the duke, and my lieutenant. — 
The goodness of the night upon you, friends ! 
What is the news ? 

Cassio. The duke does greet you, general, 

And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance, 
Even on the instant. 

Othello. What is the matter, think you ? 

Cassio. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine. 
It is a business of some heat \ the galleys 40 

Have sent a dozen sequent messengers 
This very night at one another's heels, 
And many of the consuls, rais'd and met, 
Are at the duke's already: you have been hotly call'd 

for ; 
When, being not at your lodging to be found, 



ACT I. SCENE II 45 

The senate hath sent about three several quests 
To search you out. 

Othello. ? T is well I am found by you. 

I will but spend a word here in the house, 
And go with you. {Exit. 

Cassio. Ancient, what makes he here ? 

/ago. Faith, he to-night hath boarded a land carack ; 50 
If it prove lawful prize, he 's made for ever. 

Cassio. I do not understand. 

/ago. He 's married. 

Cassio. To who ? 

Re-enter Othello. 

/ago. Marry, to — Come, captain, will you go ? 
Othello. Have with you. 

Cassio. Here comes another troop to seek for you= 
/ago. It is Brabantio. — General, be advis'd ; 
He comes to bad intent. 

Enter Brabantio, Roderigo, and Officers with torches and 

weapons. 

Othello. Holla ! stand there ! 

Roderigo. Signior, it is the Moor. 

Brabantio. Down with him, thief! 

[They draw on both sides. 
- /ago. You, Roderigo ! come, sir, I am for you. 

Othello, fceep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust 
them. — 
VGood signior, you shall more command with years 60 

Than with your weapons** 

Brabantio. O thou foul thief, where hast thou stow'd my 
daughter ? 
Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her \ 
For I '11 refer me to all things of sense, 
If she in chains of magic were not bound, 



4 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy, 

So opposite to marriage that she shunn'd 

The wealthy curled darlings of our nation, 

Would ever have, to incur a general mock, 

Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom 7 o 

Of such a thing as thou, — to fear, not to delight. 

Judge me the world, if 't is not gross in sense 

That thou hast practis'd on her with foul charms, 

Abus'd her delicate youth with drugs or minerals 

That weaken motion. I '11 have 't disputed on ; 

'T is probable and palpable to thinking. 

I therefore apprehend and do attach thee 

For an abuser of the world, a practiser 

Of arts inhibited and out of warrant. — 

Lay hold upon him ; if he do resist, 80 

Subdue him at his peril. 

Othello. Hold your hands, 

Both you of my inclining, and the rest ; 
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it 
Without a prompter. — Where will you that I go 
To answer this your charge ? 

Brabantio. To prison, till fit time 

Of law and course of direct session 
Call thee to answer. 

Othello. What if I do obey ? 

How may the duke be therewith satisfied, 
Whose messengers are here about my side, 
Upon some present business of the state, 90 

To bring me to him ? 

1 Officer. 'T is true, most worthy signior ; 

The duke 's in council, and your noble self, 
I am sure, is sent for. 

Brabantio. How ! the duke in council ! 

In this time of the night! — Bring him away; 
Mine 's not an idle cause : the duke himself, 



ACT I. SCENE III. 47 

Or any of my brothers of the state, 

Cannot but feel this wrong as 't were their own ; 

For if such actions may have passage free, 

Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be. \Exeunt. 



Scene III. A Council-chamber. 
The Duke and Senators sitting at a table ; Officers attending. 

Duke. There is no composition in these news 
That gives them credit. 

1 Senator. Indeed, they are disproportion^ ; 
My letters say a hundred and seven galleys. 

Duke. And mine, a hundred and forty. 

2 Senator. And mine, two hundred ; 
But though they jump not on a just account, — 

As in these cases, where the aim reports, 

'T is oft with difference — yet do they alt confirm 

A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus. 

Duke. Nay, it is possible enough to judgment ; 
I do not so secure me in the error, 10 

But the main article I do approve 
In fearful sense. 

Sailor. [ Within] What, ho ! what, ho ! what, ho ! 

1 Officer. A messenger from the galleys. 

Enter a Sailor. 

Duke. Now, what 's the business ? 

Sailor. The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes ; 
So was I bid report here to the state 
By Signior Angelo. 

Duke. How say you by this change ? 

1 Senator. This cannot be, 

By no assay of reason ; 't is a pageant, 
To keep us in false gaze. When we consider 
The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk, 20 



4 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OE VENICE. 

And let ourselves again but understand, 

That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes, 

So may he with more facile question bear it, 

For that it stands not in such warlike brace, 

But altogether lacks the abilities 

That Rhodes is dress'd in, — if we make thought of this, 

We must not think the Turk is so unskilful 

To leave that latest which concerns him first, 

Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain, 

To wake and wage a danger profitless. 3° 

Duke. Nay, in all confidence, he 's not for Rhodes. 

1 Officer. Here is more news. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Messenger. The Ottomites, reverend and gracious, 
Steering with due course towards the isle of Rhodes, 
Have there injointed them with an after fleet. 

1 Senator. Ay, so I thought. — How many, as you guess ? 

Messenger. Of thirty sail ; and now they do re-stem 
Their backward course, bearing with frank appearance 
Their purposes toward Cyprus. — Signior Montano, 
Your trusty and most valiant servitor, 40 

With his free duty recommends you thus, 
And prays you to believe him. 

Duke. 'T is certain, then, for Cyprus. 
Marcus Luccicos, is not he in town ? 

1 Senator. He 's now in Florence. 

Duke. Write from us to him ; post-post-haste dispatch. 

1 Senator. Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor. 

Enter Brabantio, Othello, Iago, Roderigo, and Officers. 

Duke. Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you 
Against the general enemy Ottoman. — 
[To Brabantio] I did not see you ; welcome, gentle signior ; 
We lack'd your counsel and your help to-night. 



ACT I. SCENE III. 49 

Brabantio. So did I yours. Good your grace, pardon 
me ; 
Neither my place nor aught I heard of business 
Hath rais'd me from my bed, nor doth the general care 
Take hold on me, for my particular grief 
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature 
That it engluts and swallows other sorrows 
And it is still itself. 

Duke. Why, what 's the matter ? 

Brabantio. My daughter ! O, my daughter ! 

Duke and Senators. Dead ? 

Brabantio. Ay, tome; 

She is abus'd, stol'n from me, and corrupted 60 

By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks ; 
For nature so preposterously to err, 
Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, 
Sans witchcraft could not. 

Duke. Whoe'er he be that in this foul proceeding 
Hath thus beguil'd your daughter of herself 
And you of her, the bloody book of law 
You shall yourself read in the bitter letter 
After your own sense ; yea, though our proper son 
Stood in your action. 

Brabantio. Humbly I thank your grace. 70 

Here is the man, this Moor, % whom now, it seems, 
Your special mandate for the state affairs 
Hath hither brought. 

Duke and Senators. We are very sorry for 't. 

Duke. [To Otkello] What, in your own part, can you say 
to this ? 

Brabantio. Nothing, but this is so. 

Othello. Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, 
My very noble and approv'd good masters, 
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, 
It is most true ; true, I have married her : 

D 



5 o OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VEJVLCE. 

The very head and front of my offending 80 

Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech, 

And little blest with the soft phrase of peace : 

For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, 

Till now some nine moons wasted, they have us'd 

Their dearest action in the tented field ; 

And little of this great world can I speak, 

More than pertains to feats of broil and battle, 

And therefore little shall I grace my cause 

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience, 

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver 90 

Of my whole course of love ; what drugs, what charms, 

What conjuration, and what mighty magic, — 

For such proceeding I am charg'd withal, — 

I won his daughter. 

Brabantio. A maiden never bold ; 

Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion 
Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature, 
Of years, of country, credit, every thing, 
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on ! 
It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect 
That will confess perfection so could err 100 

Against all rules of nature, and must be driven 
To find out practices of cunning hell, 
Why this should be. I therefore vouch again 
That with some mixtures powerful o'er the blood, 
Or with some dram conjurd to this effect, 
He wrought upon her. 

Duke. To vouch this, is no proof, 

Without more wider and more overt test 
Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods 
Of modern seeming do prefer against him. 

1 Senator. But, Othello, speak : no 

Did you by indirect and forced courses 
Subdue and poison this young maid's affections? 



ACT L SCENE III. 



5* 



Or came it by request, and such fair question 
As soul to soul affordeth ? 

Othello. I do beseech you, 

Send for the lady to the Sagittary, 
And let her speak of me before her father. 
If you do find me foul in her report, 
The trust, the office I do hold of you, 
Not only take away, but let your sentence 
Even fall upon my life. 

Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither. 12c 

Othello. Ancient, conduct them ; you best know the place. — 

\Exeunt Iago and attendants. 
And, till she come, as truly as to heaven 
I do confess the vices- of my blood, 
So justly to your grave ears I '11 present 
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love, 
And she in mine. 

Duke. Say it, Othello. 

Othello. Her father lov'd me, oft invited me, 
Still question'd me the story of my life 

From year to year, — the battles, sieges, fortunes, 130 

That I have pass'd. 

I ran it through, even from my boyish days 
To the very moment that he bade me tell it ; 
Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances, 
Of moving accidents by flood and field, . 
Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach, 
Of being taken by the insolent foe 
And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence, 
And portance in my travel's history ; 

Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle, mo 

Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven, 
It was my hint to speak, — such was the process : 
And of the Cannibals that each other eat, 
The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads 



S2 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear 

Would Desdemona seriously incline : 

But still the house affairs would draw her thence ; 

Which ever as she could with haste dispatch, 

She 'd come again, and with a greedy ear 

Devour up my discourse : which I observing, 150 

Took once a pliant hour, and found good means 

To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart 

That I would all my pilgrimage dilate, 

AVhereof by parcels she had something heard, 

But not intentively. I did consent, 

And often did beguile her of her tears, 

When I did speak of some distressful stroke 

That my youth suffer'd. My story being done, 

She gave me for my pains a world of sighs : 

She swore, in faith, 't was strange, 't was passing strange, 160 

'T was pitiful, 't was wondrous pitiful ; 

She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'd 

That heaven had made her such a man ; she thank'd me, 

And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her, 

I should but teach him how to tell my story, 

And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake ; 

She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, 

And I lov'd her that she did pity them. 

This only is the witchcraft I have us'd. — 

Here comes the lady ; let her witness it. 170 

E?iter Desdemona, Iago, and Attendants. 

Duke. I think this tale would win my daughter too. — 
Good Brabantio, 
^-L Take up this mangled matter at the best ; 
Men do their broken weapons rather use 
Than their bare hands. 

Brabantio. I pray you, hear her speak ; 

If she confess that she was half the wooer, 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



53 



Destruction on my head, if my bad blame 
Light on the man ! — Come hither, gentle mistress ; 
Do you perceive in all this noble company 
Where most you owe obedience ? 

Desdemona. My noble father, xSo 

I do perceive here a divided duty : 
To you I am bound for life and education ; 
My life and education both do learn me 
How to respect you ; you are the lord of duty ; 
I am hitherto your daughter ; but here 's my husband, 
And so much duty as my mother show'd 
To you, preferring you before her father, 
So much I challenge that I may profess 
Due to the Moor my lord. 

Brabantio. God be with you ! — I have done. — 

Please it your grace, on to the state affairs ; 190 

I had rather to adopt a child than get it. — 
Come hither, Moor ; 

I here do give thee that with all my heart 
Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart 
I would keep from thee. — For your sake, jewel, 
I am glad at soul I have no other child; 
For thy escape would teach me tyranny, 
To hang clogs on them. — I have done, my lord. 

Duke. Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence, 
Which, as a grise or step, may help these lovers 200 

^nto your favour. , 

'When remedies are past, the griefs are ended) 
By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended. 
'To mourn a mischief that is past and gone 

s the next way to draw new mischief on. 
What cannot be preserved when fortune takes, 
Patience her injury a mockery makes. 
The robb'd that smiles steals something from the thief; 
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief. 






54 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Brabantio. So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile ; 210 

We lose it not, so long as we can smile. 
He bears the sentence well that nothing bears 
But the free comfort which from thence he hears, 
But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow 
That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow. 
These sentences, to sugar or to gall, 
Being strong on both sides, are equivocal : 
But words are words y)\ never yet did hear 
That the bruis'd heart was pierced through the ear. — 
Beseech you, now to the affairs of state. 220 

Duke. The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes 
for Cyprus. — Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known 
to you ; and though we have there a substitute of most al- 
lowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, 
throws a more safer voice on you : you must therefore be con- 
tent to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this more 
stubborn and boisterous expedition. 

Othello. The tyrant custom, most grave senators, 
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war 
My thrice-driven bed of down ; I do agnize CyvJ^vw 230 

A natural and prompt alacrity 
I find in hardness, and do undertake 
These present wars against the Ottomites. 
Most humbly therefore bending to your state, 
I crave fit disposition for my wife, 
Due reference of place and exhibition, 
With such accommodation and besort 
As levels with her breeding. 

Duke. If you please, 

Be 't at her father's. 

Brabantio. I '11 not have it so. 

Othello. Nor I. 

Desdetnona. Nor I ; I would not there reside, 240 

To put my father in impatient thoughts 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



55 



By being in his eye. Most gracious duke, 
To my unfolding lend your prosperous ear ; 
And let me find a charter in your voice, 
To assist my simpleness. 

Duke. What would you, Desdemona? 

Desdemona. That I did love the Moor to live with him, 
My downright violence and storm of fortunes 
May trumpet to the world : my heart 's subdued 
Even to the very quality of my lord ; 250 

I saw Othello's visage in his mind, 
And to his honours and his valiant parts 
Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. 
So that, dear lords, if I be left behind, 
A moth of peace, and he go to the war, 
The rites for which I love him are bereft me, 
And I a heavy interim shall support 
By his dear absence. Let me go with him. 

Othello. Let her have your voices. 
Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not, 260 

To please the palate of my appetite, 
Nor to comply with heat — the young affects 
In me defunct — and proper satisfaction, 
But to be free and bounteous to her mind : 
And heaven defend your good souls, that you think 
I will your serious and great business scant 
For she is with me. No, when light-wing'd toys 
Of feather'd Cupid seel with wanton dulness 
My speculative and offic'd instruments, 

That my disports corrupt and taint my business, 270 

Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, 
And all indign and base adversities 
Make head against my estimation ! hp\ / ^^ 

Duke. Be it as you shall privately determine, 
Either for her stay or going. The affair cries haste, 
And speed must answer it. 



56 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



i Senator. You must away to-night. 

Othello. With all my heart. 

Duke. At nine i' the morning here we '11 meet again. — 
Othelk), leave some officer behind, 

And he shall our commission bring to you, 280 

With such things else of quality and respect 
As doth import you. 

Othello. So please your grace, my ancient ; 

A man he is of honesty and trust : 
To his conveyance I assign my wife, 
With what else needful your good grace shall think 
To be sent after me. 

Duke. Let it be so. — 

Good night to every one. — And, noble signior, 
If virtue no delighted beauty lack, 
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black. 

1 Senator. Adieu, brave Moor ! use Desdemona well. 290 

Brabantio. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see ; 
She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee. 

\Exeimt Duke, Senators, Officers, etc. 

Othello. My life upon her faith ! — Honest Iago, 
My Desdemona must I leave to thee ; 
I prithee, let thy wife attend on her, 
And bring them after in the best advantage.— 
Come, Desdemona ; I have but an hour 
Of love, of worldly matters and direction, 
To spend with thee : we must obey the time. 

\Exeimt Othello a?id Desdemona. 

Roderigo. Iago — 3 oo- 

Iago. What say'st thou, noble heart ? 

Roderigo. What will I do, thinkest thou? 

Iago. Why, go to bed, and sleep. 

Roderigo. I will incontinently drown myself. 

Iago. If thou dost, I shall never love thee after. Why, 
thou silly gentleman ! 



ACT I. SCENE ni: 



57 



Roderigo. It is silliness to live when to live is torment ; 
and then have we a prescription to die when death is our 
physician. 309 

/ago. O villanous ! I have looked upon the world for 
four times seven years ; and since I could distinguish be- 
twixt a benefit and an injury, I never found man that knew 
how to love himself. Ere I would say, I would drown my- 
self for the love of a guinea-hen, I would change my human- 
ity with a baboon. 

Roderigo. What should I do ? I confess it is my shame to 
be so fond ; but it is not in my virtue to amend it. 317 

/ago. Virtue ! a fig ! 't is in ourselves that we are thus or 
thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills 
are gardeners ; so that if we will plant nettles, or sow 
lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one 
gender of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it 
sterile with idleness or manured with industry, why, the 
power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. If 
the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise 
another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures 
would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions ; but we 
have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, 
our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this that you call love to 
be a sect or scion. 330 

Roderigo. It cannot be. 
. /ago. It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of 
the will. Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and 
blind puppies. I have professed me thy friend, and I con- 
fess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable 
toughness ; I could never better stead thee than now. Put 
money in thy purse ; follow these wars ; defeat thy favour 
with an usurped beard ; I say, put money in thy purse. It 
cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to 
the Moor, —put money in thy purse, — nor he his to her : it 
was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answer- 



S 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OE VENICE. 

able sequestration ; — put but money in thy purse. These 
Moors are changeable in their wills ; — fill thy purse with 
money : — the food that to him now is as luscious as locusts, 
shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. She must 
change for youth : when she is sated with his body, she will 
find the error of her choice ; she must have change, she 
must : therefore put money in thy purse. If thou wilt needs 
damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. 
Make all the money thou canst : if sanctimony and a frail 
vow betwixt an erring barbarian and a supersubtle Venetian 
be not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou 
shalt enjoy her ; therefore make money. A pox of drown- 
ing thyself! it is clean out of the way; seek thou rather to 
be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and 
go without her. 

Roderigo. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes-, if I depend on 
the issue ? 358 

Iago. Thou art sure of me. — Go, make money. — I have 
told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the 
Moor : my cause is hearted \ thine hath no less reason. Let 
us be conjunctive in our revenge against him \ if thou canst 
cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There 
are many events in the womb of time which will be deliv- 
ered. Traverse ! go, provide thy money. We will have 
more of this to-morrow. Adieu. 

Roderigo. Where shall we meet i' the morning ? 

Iago. At my lodging. 

Roderigo. I '11 be with thee betimes. 

Iago. Go to ; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo ? 370 

Roderigo. What say you ? 

Iago. No more of drowning, do you hear? 

Roderigo. I am changed ; I '11 sell all my land. [Exit. 

Iago. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse ; 
For I mine own gain'd knowledge should'profane, 
If I would time expend with such a snipe, 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



59 



But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor ; 

And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets 

He has done my office : I know not if 't be true ; 

But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, 380 

Will do as if for surety. He holds me well ; 

The better shall my purpose work on him. 

Cassio- 's a proper man : let me see now ; 

To get his place and to plume up my will 

In double knavery — How, how ? — Let 's see : — 

After some time, to abuse Othello's ear 

That he is too familiar with his wife. 

He hath a person and a smooth dispose 

To be suspected, fram'd to make women false. 

The Moor is of a free and open nature, 390 

That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, 

And will as tenderly be led by the nose 

As asses are. 

I have 't. It is engender'd. Hell and night 

Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light. [Exit. 





ACT II. 

Scene I. A Seaport in Cyprus. A Platform. 
Enter Montano and two Gentlemen. 

Montano. What from the cape can you discern at sea ? 

i Gentleman. Nothing at all : it is a high-wrought flood 
I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main, 
Descry a sail. 

Montano. Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land ; 
A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements. 
If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sea, 
What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them, 
Can hold the mortise ? What shall we hear of this ? 

2 Gentleman. A segregation of the Turkish fleet : 
For do but stand upon the foaming shore, 



ACT II. SCENE I 6 1 

The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds ; 

The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous mane, 

Seems to cast water on the burning Bear, 

And quench the guards of the ever-fixed pole. 

I never did like molestation view 

On the enchafed flood. 

Montano. If that the Turkish fleet 

Be not enshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd; 
It is impossible they bear it out. 

Enter a third Gentleman. 

3 Gentleman. News, lads ! our wars are done. 20 

The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks, 
That their designment halts ■ a noble ship of Venice 
Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance 
On most part of their fleet. 

Montano. How ! is this true ? 

3- Gentleman. The ship is here put in ; 

A Veronese, Michael Cassio, 
Lieutenant to the warlike Moor Othello, 
Is come on shore : the Moor himself at sea, 
And is in full commission here for Cyprus. 

Montaiio. I am glad on 't ; 't is a worthy governor. 30 

3 Gentleman. But this same Cassio, though he speak of 
comfort 
Touching the Turkish loss, yet he looks sadly, 
And prays the Moor be safe ; for they were parted 
With foul and violent tempest. 

Montano. Pray heavens he be ; 

For I have serv'd him, and the man commands 
Like a full soldier. Let 's to the seaside, ho ! 
As well to see the vessel that 9 s come in 
As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello, 
Even till we make the main and the aerial blue 
An indistinct regard. 



62 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

3 Gentleman. Come, let 's do so : 40 
For every minute is expectancy 

Of more arrivance. 

Enter Cassio. 

Cassio. Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle, 
That so approve the Moor ! O, let the heavens 
Give him defence against the elements, 
For I have lost him on a dangerous sea. 

Montano. Is he well shipp'd? 

Cassio. His bark is stoutly timber'cl, and his pilot 
Of very expert and approved allowance; 
Therefore my hopes, not surfeited to death, 50 

Stand in bold cure. \A cry within, ' A sail, a sail, a sail V 

Enter a fourth Gentleman. 

Cassio. What noise ? 

4 Gentleman. The town is empty ; on the brow o' the sea 
Stand ranks of people, and they cry ' A sail !' 

Cassio. My hopes do shape him for the governor. 

[Guns heard. 

2 Gentlemati. They do discharge their shot of courtesy ; 
Our friends at least. 

Cassio. I pray you, sir, go forth, 

And give us truth who 't is that is arriv'd. 

2 Gentleman. I shall. [Exit. 

Monta?to. But, good lieutenant, is your general wiv'd? 60 

Cassio. Most fortunately : he hath achiev'd a maid 
That paragons description and wild fame ; 
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens, 
And in the essential vesture of creation 
Does tire the enginer. 

Re-enter second Gentleman. 

How now ! who has put in ? 



ACT II. SCENE I 63 

2 Gentleman. 'T is one Iago, ancient to the general. 

Cassio. He 's had most favourable and happy speed. 
Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, 
The gutter'd rocks, and congregated sands, — 
Traitors ensteep'd to clog the guiltless keel, 70 

As having sense of beauty, do omit 
Their mortal natures, letting go safely by 
The divine Desdemona. 

Montana. What is she ? 

Cassio. .She that I spake of, our great captain's captain, 
Left in the conduct of the bold Iago, 
Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts 
A se'nnight's speed. Great Jove, Othello guard, 
And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath, 
That he may bless this bay with his tall ship, 
Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits, 80 

And bring all Cyprus comfort ! 

Enter Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, Roderigo, and Attendants. 

O, behold, 
The riches of the ship is come on shore ! 
Ye men of Cyprus, let her have your knees. — 
Hail to thee, lady ! and the grace of heaven, 
Before, behind thee, and on every hand, 
Enwheel thee round J 

Desdemona. I thank you, valiant Cassio. 

What tidings can you tell me of my lord ? 

Cassio. He is not yet arriv'd \ nor know I aught 
But that he 's well and will be shortly here. 

Desdemona. O, but I fear — How lost you company ? 90 

Cassio. The great contention of the sea and skies 
Parted our fellowship — But, hark ! a sail. 

[ Within ' A sail, a sail !' Guns heard. 

2 Gentleman. They give their greeting to the citadel ; 
This likewise is a friend. 



64 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Cassio. See for the news. — [Exit Gentleman. 

Good ancient, you are welcome. — [7o Emilia] Welcome, 

mistress. — ■ 
Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, 
That I extend my manners ; 't is my breeding 
That gives me this bold show of courtesy. [Kissing her. 

Iago. Sir, would she give you so much of her lips 
As of her tongue she oft bestows on me, ioo 

You 'd have enough. 

Desdemona. Alas, she has no speech. 

Iago. In faith, too much ; 
I find it still, when I have list to sleep : 
Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, 
She puts her tongue a little in her heart, 
And chides with thinking. 

Emilia. You have little cause to say so. 

Iago. Come on, come on • you are pictures out of doors, 
Bells in your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchens, 
Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, no 

Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds. 

Desdemo?ia. O, fie upon thee, slanderer ! 

Iago. Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk ; 
You rise to play, and go to bed to work. 

Emilia. You shall not write my praise. 

Iago. No, let me not 

Desdemona. What wouldst thou write of me, if thou 
shouldst praise me? 

Iago. O gentle lady, do not put me to 't ; 
For I am nothing, if not critical. 

Desdemona. Come on, assay. — There 's one gone to the 
harbour ?, 

Iago. Ay, madam. i 20 

Desdemona. I am not merry ; but I do beguile 
The thing I am by seeming otherwise. — 
Come, -w wouldst thou praise me? 



ACT II. SCENE I 65 

/ago. I am about it ; but indeed my invention 
Comes from my pate as birdlime does from frize; 
It plucks out brains and all : but my Muse labours, 
And thus she is deliver'd. 
If she be fair and wise, fairness and wit, 
The one 's for use, the other useth it. 

Desdemona. Well prais'd ! How if she be black and 
witty ? 130 

Iago. If she be black, and thereto have a wit, 
She '11 find a white that shall her blackness fit. 

Desdemona. Worse and worse. 

Emilia. How if fair and foolish ? 

Iago. She never yet was foolish that was fair; 
For even her folly help'd her to an heir. 

Desdemona. These are old fond paradoxes to make fools 
laugh i' the alehouse. What miserable praise hast thou for 
her that 's foul and foolish ? 

Iago. There 's none so foul and foolish thereunto, 140 

But does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do. 

Desdemona. O heavy ignorance ! thou praisest the worst 
best. But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving 
woman indeed, one that in the authority of her merit did 
justly put on the vouch of very malice itself? 

Iago. She that was ever fair and never proud, 
Had tongue at will and yet was never loud, 
Never lack'd gold and yet went never gay, 
Fled from her wish and yet said ' Now I may/ 
She that being anger'd, her revenge being nigh, 150 

Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly, 
She that in wisdom never was so frail 
To change the cod's head for the salmon's tail, 
She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind, 
See suitors following and not look behind, 
She was a wight, if ever such wight were, — 

Desdemona. To do what ? % 

E 



66 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

/ago. To suckle fools and chronicle small beer. 

Desdemona. O most lame and impotent conclusion ! — Do 
not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband. — How 
say you, Cassio ? is he not a most profane and liberal coun- 
sellor ? 162 

Cassio. He speaks home, madam ; you may relish him 
more in the soldier than in the scholar. 

/ago. [Aside] He takes her by the palm : ay, well said, 
whisper ; with as little a web as this will I ensnare as great 
a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do ; I will gyve thee in 
thine own courtship. You say true ; 't is so, indeed : if such 
tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been 
better you had not kissed your three ringers so oft, which 
now again you are most apt to play the sir in. Very good ; 
well kissed ! an excellent courtesy ! 't is so, indeed. Yet 
again your fingers to your lips? — [Trumpet within.] The 
Moor ! I know his trumpet. 

Cassio. 'T is truly so. 175 

Desdemona. Let 's meet him and receive him. 

Cassio. Lo, where he comes ! 

Enter Othello and Attendants. 

Othello. O my fair warrior ! 

Desdemona. My dear Othello ! 

Othello. It gives me wonder great as my content 
To see you here before me. O my soul's joy ! 180 

If after every tempest come such calms, 
May the winds blow till they have waken'd death ! 
And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas 
Olympus-high, and duck again as low 
As hell 's from heaven ! If it were now to die, 
'T were now to be most happy \ for, I fear, 
My soul hath her content so absolute 
That not another comfort like to this 
Succeeds in unknown fate. 



ACT II. SCENE I. 67 

Desdemona. The heavens forbid 

But that our loves and comforts should increase, 190 

Even as our days do grow ! 

Othello. Amen to that, sweet powers ! 

I cannot speak enough of this content ; 
It stops me here ; it is too much of joy : 
And this, and this, the greatest discords be [Kissing her. 
That e'er our hearts shall make ! 

./ago. [Aside] O, you are well tun'd now ! 
But I 5 11 set down the pegs that make this music, 
As honest as I am. 

Othello. Come, let us to the castle. 

News, friends; our wars are done, the Turks are drown 'cl. 
How does my old acquaintance of this isle ? — 200 

Honey, you shall be well desir'd in Cyprus ; 
I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet, 
I prattle out of fashion, and I dote 
In mine own comforts. — I prithee, good Iago, 
Go to the bay and disembark my coffers ; 
Bring thou the master to the citadel ; 
He is a good one, and his worthiness 
Does challenge much respect. — Come, Desdemona, 
Once more, well met at Cyprus. 209 

\Exeimt Othello, Desdemona, and Attetidants. 

/ago. Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. — Come 
hither. — If thou be'st valiant, — as, they say, base men being 
in love have then a nobility in their natures more than is na- 
tive to them,) — list me. The lieutenant to-night watches on 
the court of guard. First, I must tell thee this — Desdemona 
is directly in love with him. 

Roderigo. With him ! why, 't is not possible. 216 

Iago. Lay thy finger thus, and let thy soul be instructed. 
Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor, but 
for bragging and telling her fantastical lies ; and will she 
love him still for prating ? let not thy discreet heart think it. 



68 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Her eye must be fed ; and what delight shall she have to 
look on the devil ? When the blood is made dull, there 
should be, again to inflame it and to give satiety a fresh ap- 
petite, loveliness in favour, sympathy in years, manners, and 
beauties ; all which the Moor is defective in. Now, for want 
of these required conveniences, her delicate tenderness will 
find itself abused, begin to heave the gorge, disrelish and ab- 
hor the Moor ; very nature will instruct her in it, and com- 
pel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this granted, — as 
it is a most pregnant and unforced position — who stands so 
eminent in the degree of this fortune as Cassio does? a knave 
very voluble ; no further conscionable than in putting on the 
mere form of civil and humane seeming, for the better com- 
passing of his salt and most hidden loose affection ? why, 
none ; why, none : a slipper and subtle knave, a finder of 
occasions, that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advan- 
tages, though true advantage never present itself; a devilish 
knave ! Besides, the knave is handsome, young, and hath all 
those requisites in him that folly and green minds look after : 
a pestilent complete knave ; and the woman hath found him 
already. 241 

Roderigo. I cannot believe that in her ; she 's full of most 
blessed condition. 

Iago. Blessed fig's end ! the wine she drinks is made of 
grapes ; if she had been blessed, she would never have loved 
the Moor. Blessed pudding ! Didst thou not see her pad- 
dle with the palm of his hand? didst not mark that? 

Roderigo. Yes, that I did ; but that was but courtesy. 

Iago. Lechery, by this hand ; an index and obscure prol- 
ogue to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met so 
near with their lips that their breaths embraced together. 
Villanous thoughts, Roderigo ! — But, sir, be you ruled by me; 
I have brought you from Venice. Watch you to-night ; for 
the command I '11 lay 't upon you. Cassio knows you not. 
I '11 not be far from you ; do you find some occasion to an- 



ACT II. SCENE I. 69 

ger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his disci- 
pline, or from what other course you please, which the time 
shall more favourably minister. 

Roderigo. Well. 259 

Iago. Sir, he is rash and very sudden in choler, and haply 
may strike at you : provoke him that he may ; for even out 
of that will I cause these of Cyprus to mutiny, whose qualifi- 
cation shall come into no true taste again but by the dis- 
placing of Cassio. So shall you have a shorter journey to 
your desires by the means I shall then have to prefer them ; 
and the impediment most profitably removed, without the 
which there were no expectation of our prosperity. 

Roderigo. I will do this, if I can bring it to any oppor- 
tunity. 269 
Iago. I warrant thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel ; 
I must fetch his necessaries ashore. Farewell. 

Roderigo. Adieu. [Exit 

Iago. That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it ; 
That she loves him, 't is apt and of great credit : 
The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, 
Is of a constant, loving, noble nature, 
And I dare think he '11 prove to Desdemona 
A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too ; 
Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure 
I stand accountant for as great a sin, 280 

But partly fed to diet my revenge, 
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor 
Hath leap'd into my seat : the thought whereof 
Doth like a poisonous, mineral gnaw my inwards; 
And nothing can or shall content my soul 
Till I am even'd with him, wife for wife, 
Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor 
At least into a jealousy so strong 
That judgment cannot cure. Which thing to do, 
If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trash 290 



7 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

For his quick hunting, stand the putting on, 

I '11 have our Michael Cassio on the hip, 

Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb — 

For I fear Cassio with my nightcap too — 

Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me, 

For making him egregiously an ass 

And practising upon his peace and quiet 

Even to madness. 'T is here, but yet confus'd ; 298 

Knavery's plain face is never seen till us'd. [Exit. 

Scene II. A Street. 
Enter a Herald with a prodcwiatio?i ; People following. 

Herald. It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant 
general, that, upon certain tidings now arrived, importing 
the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet, every man put him- 
self into triumph ; some to dance, some to make bonfires, 
each man to what sport and revels his addiction leads him : 
for, besides these beneficial news, it is the celebration of his 
nuptial. So much was his pleasure should be proclaimed. 
All offices are open, and there is full liberty of feasting from 
this present hour of five till the bell have told eleven. Heav- 
en bless the isle of Cyprus and our noble general Othello ! 

[Exeunt 

Scene III. A Hall in the Castle. 
Enter Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and Attendants. 

Othello. Good Michael, look you to the guard to-night ; 
Let 's teach ourselves that honourable stop, 
Not to outsport discretion. 

Cassio. Iago hath direction what to do ; 
But, notwithstanding, with my personal eye 
Will I look to 't. 

Othello. Iago is most honest. 

Michael, good night ; to-morrow with your earliest 



ACT II. SCENE III. 



71 



Let me have speech with you. — [To Desdemona] Come, my 

dear love. — 
Good night. [Exeunt Othello \ Desdemona, and Attendants. 

Enter Iago. 

Cassio. Welcome, Iago ; we must to the watch. 10 

Iago. Not this hour, lieutenant ; 't is not yet ten o' the 
clock. Our general cast us thus early for the love of his 
Desdemona, who let us not therefore blame. 

Cassio. She 's a most exquisite lady. 

Iago. What an eye she has ! methinks it sounds a parley 
of provocation. 

Cassio. An inviting eye ; and yet methinks right modest. 

Iago. And when she speaks, is it not an alarum to love ? 

Cassio. She is indeed perfection. i 9 

Iago. Well, happiness to their sheets ! Come, lieutenant, 
I have a stoup of wine \ and here without are a brace of 
Cyprus gallants that would fain have a measure to the 
health of black Othello. 

Cassio. Not to-night, good Iago. I have very poor and 
unhappy brains for drinking ; I could well wish courtesy 
would invent some other custom of entertainment. 

Iago. O, they are our friends ; but one cup : I '11 drink 
for you. 

Cassio. I have drunk but one cup to-night, and that was 
craftily qualified too, and behold what innovation it makes 
here. I am unfortunate in the infirmity, and dare not task 
my weakness with any more. 32 

Iago. What, man ! 't is a night of revels ; the gallants de- 
sire it. 

Cassio. Where are they ? 

Iago. Here at the door • I pray you, call them in. 

Cassio. I '11 do 't ; but it dislikes me. [Exit. 

Iago. If I can fasten but one cup upon him, 
With that which he hath drunk to-night already, 



72 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 



He '11 be as full of quarrel and offence 4° 

As my young mistress' dog. Now, my sick fool Roderigo, 
Whom love hath turn'd almost the wrong side out, 
To Desdemona hath to-night carous'd 
Potations pottle-deep \ and he 's to watch. 
Three lads of Cyprus, — noble swelling spirits, 
That hold their honours in a wary distance, 
The very elements of this warlike isle, — 
Have I to-night fluster'd with flowing cups, 
And they watch too. Now, 'mongst this flock of drunk- 
ards, 
Am I to put our Cassio in some action 50 

That may offend the isle. — But here they come : 
If consequence do but approve my dream, 
My boat sails freely, both with wind and stream. 

Re-enter Cassio ; with him Montano and Gentlemen ; Ser- 
vants following with wine. 

Cassio. Fore God, they have given me a rouse already. 
Montano. Good faith, a little one ; not past a pint, as I 
am a soldier. 

/ago. Some wine, ho ! 
[Sings] And let me the canakin clink, clink ! 
And let me the canakin clink I 

A soldier 7 s a man ; 60 

A life 9 s but a spa?i ; 
Why, then, let a soldier drink / 
Some wine, boys ! 

Cassio. Fore God, an excellent song. 

/ago. I learned it in England, where, indeed, they are 
most potent in potting ; your Dane, your German, and 
your swag-bellied Hollander — Drink, ho ! — are nothing to 
your English. 

Cassio. Is your Englishman so exquisite in his drink- 
ing? 70 



ACT II. SCENE III. 73 

Iago. Why, he drinks you with facility your Dane dead 
drunk ; he sweats not to overthrow your Almain ; he gives 
your Hollander a vomit ere the next pottle can be filled. 
Cassio. To the health of our general ! 
Montano. I am for it, lieutenant ; and I '11 do you justice. 
Iago. O sweet England ! 
[Sings] King Stephen was a worthy peer, 

His breeches cost him but a crown ; 
He held them sixpence all too dear, 

With that he calld the tailor lown. 80 

He was a wight of high renown, 

And thou art but of low degree : 
'T is pride that pulls the country down; 
Then take thine auld cloak about thee. 
Some wine, ho ! 

Cassio. Why, this is a more exquisite song than the other. 
Iago. Will you hear 't again ? 

Cassio. No ; for I hold him to be unworthy of his place 

that does those things. Well, God 's above all; and there 

be souls must be saved, and there be souls must not be 

saved. 91 

Iago. It 's true, good lieutenant. 

Cassio. For mine own part, — no offence to the general, 
nor any man of quality, — I hope to be saved. 

Iago. And so do I too, lieutenant 
^ Cassio. Ay, but, by your leave, not before me ; the lieuten- 
ant is to be saved before the ancient. Let 's have no more 
of this ; let 's to our affairs. — Forgive us our sins !— Gentle- 
men, let 's look to our business. — Do not think, gentlemen, I 
am drunk : this is my ancient ; this is my right hand, and 
this is my left. I am not drunk now; I can stand well 
enough, and speak well enough. 102 

All. Excellent well. 

Cassio. Why, very well then ; you must not think then 
that I am drunk. [Exit. 



74 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



Montano. To the platform, masters ; come, let 's set the 
watch. 

Iago. You see this fellow that is gone before ; 
He is a soldier fit to stand by Caesar 

And give direction : and do but see his vice. no 

'T is to his virtue a just equinox, 
The one as long as the other • 't is pity of him. 
I fear the trust Othello puts him in, 
On some odd time of his infirmity, 
Will shake this island. 

Mo?itano. But is he often thus ? 

Iago. 'T is evermore the prologue to his sleep ; 
He '11 watch the horologe a double set, 
If drink rock not his cradle. 

Montano. It were well 

The general were put in mind of it. 

Perhaps he sees it not ; or his good nature 120 

Prizes the virtue that appears in Cassio, 
And looks not on his evils : is not this true ? 

Enter Roderigo. 

Iago. [Aside to hwi\ How now, Roderigo ! 
I pray you, after the lieutenant ; go. [Exit Roderigo. 

Montano. And 't is great pity that the noble Moor 
Should hazard such a place as his own second 
With one of an ingraft infirmity ; 
It were an honest action to say 
So to the Moor. 

Iago. Not I, for this fair island \ 

I do love Cassio well, and would do much 130 

To cure him of this evil — But, hark ! what noise ? 

[Cry within : ' Help ! help !' 

Enter Cassio, pursuing Roderigo. 
Cassio. You rogue ! you rascal ! 



ACT II. SCENE III 75 

Montano. What 's the matter, lieutenant ? 

Cassio. A knave teach me my duty ! 
I '11 beat the knave into a twiggen bottle. 

Roderigo. Beat me ! 

Cassio. Dost thou prate, rogue ? 

[Striking Roderigo. 

Montano. Nay, good lieutenant \ 

[Staying him. 
I pray you, sir, hold your hand. 

Cassio. Let me go, sir, 

Or I '11 knock you o'er the mazzard. 

Montano. Come, come, you 're drunk. 

Cassio. Drunk ! [They fight. 

Iago. [Aside to Roderigo'] Away, I say ; go out, and cry a 
mutiny. [Exit Roderigo. 

Nay, good lieutenant, — alas, gentlemen ! — 140 

Help, ho ! — Lieutenant, — sir, — Montano, — sir; — 
Help, masters ! — Here 's a goodly watch indeed ! 

[Bell rings. 
Who 's that which rings the bell ? — Diablo, ho ! 
The town will rise ; God's will, lieutenant, hold ! 
You will be sham'd for ever. 

Enter Othello and Attendants. 
Othello. What is the matter here ? 

Montano. Zounds, I bleed still ; I am hurt to the death. 

[Faints. 
Othello. Hold, for your lives ! 

Iago. Hold, ho! Lieutenant, — sir, — Montano, — gentle- 
men ! — 
Have you forgot all sense of place and duty? 
Hold! the general speaks to you; hold, hold, for shame ! 150 

Othello. Why, how now, ho ! from whence ariseth this ? 
Are we turn'd Turks, and to ourselves do that 
Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites ? 



7 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl ! 

He that stirs next to carve for his own rage 

Holds his soul light \ he dies upon his motion. — • 

Silence that dreadful bell ! it frights the isle 

From her propriety. — What is the matter, masters ? — 

Honest Iago, that look'st dead with grieving, 

Speak, who began this ? on thy love, I charge thee. 160 

Iago. I do not know : friends all but now, even now, 
In quarter, and in terms like bride and groom 
Devesting them for bed; and then, but now— 
As if some planet had unwitted men — 
Swords out, and tilting one at other's breast, 
In opposition bloody. I cannot speak 
Any beginning to this peevish odds ; 
And would in action glorious I had lost 
Those legs that brought me to a part of it ! 

Othello. How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot ? 170 

Cassio. I pray you, pardon me ; I cannot speak. 

Othello. Worthy Montano, you were wont be civil ; 
The gravity and stillness of your youth 
The world hath noted, and your name is great 
In mouths of wisest censure : what 's the matter, 
That you unlace your reputation thus, 
And spend your rich opinion for the name 
Of a night-brawler ? give me answer to it. 

Montano. Worthy Othello, I am hurt to danger : 
Your officer, Iago, can inform you, — 180 

While I spare speech, which something now offends me, — 
Of all that I do know • nor know I aught 
By me that 's said or done amiss this night, 
Unless self-charity be sometimes a vice, 
And to defend ourselves it be a sin 
When violence assails us. 

Othello. Now, by heaven, 

My blood begins my safer guides to rule ; 



ACT II. SCENE III 77 

And passion, having my best judgment collied, 

Assays to lead the way. If I once stir, 

Or do but lift this arm, the best of you 190 

Shall sink in my rebuke. Give me to know 

How this foul rout began, who set it on, 

And he that is approv'd in this offence, 

Though he had twinn'd with me, both at a birth, 

Shall lose me. — What! in a town of war, 

Yet wild, the people's hearts brimful of fear, 

To manage private and domestic quarrel, 

In night, and on the court and guard of safety ! 

'T is monstrous. — Iago, who began 't? 

Monta?w. If partially affin'd, or leagu'd in office, 200 

Thou dost deliver more or less than truth, 
Thou art no soldier. 

Iago. Touch me not so near : 

I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth 
Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio ; 
Yet, I persuade myself, to speak the truth 
Shall nothing wrong him. — Thus it is, general. 
Montano and myself being in speech, 
There comes a fellow crying out for help, 
And Cassio following him with determin'd sword, 
To execute upon him. Sir, this gentleman 
Steps in to Cassio, and entreats his pause ; 
Myself the crying fellow did pursue, 
Lest by his clamour — as it so fell out — 
The town might fall in fright ; he, swift of foot, 
Outran my purpose, and I return'd the rather 
For that I heard the clink and fall of swords, 
And Cassio high in oath, which till to-night 
I ne'er might say before. When I came back — 
For this was brief — I found them close together, 
At blow and thrust, even as again they were 
When you yourself did part them, 



78 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OE VENICE. 

More of this matter cannot I report : 

But men are men • the best sometimes forget. 

Though Cassio did some little wrong to him, 

As men in rage strike those that wish them best, 

Yet surely Cassio, I believe, receiv'd 

From him that fled some strange indignity, 

Which patience could not pass. 

Othello. I know, Iago, 

Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, 
Making it light to Cassio. — Cassio, I love thee ; 230 

But never more be officer of mine. — 

Re-enter Desdemona, attended. 

Look, if my gentle love be not rais'd up ! — 
I '11 make thee an example. 

Desdemona. What 's the matter ? 

Othello. All 's well now, sweeting; come away to bed. — 
Sir, for your hurts, myself will be your surgeon. — 
Lead him off.— [Montano is led off. 

Iago, look with care about the town, 
And silence those whom this vile brawl distracted. — 
Come, Desdemona; 't is the soldiers' life 
To have their balmy slumbers wak'd with strife. 240 

\Exeiint all but Iago and Cassio. 
Iago. What, are you hurt, lieutenant? 
Cassio. Ay, past all surgery. 
'Iago. Marry, heaven forbid ! 

Cassio. Reputation, reputation, reputation ! O, I have lost 
my reputation ! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and 
what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputa- 
tion ! 
f Iago. As I am an honest man, I thought you had received 
f some bodily wound ; there is more sense in that than in repu- 
I tation. ^Reputation is an idle and most false imposition ; oft 
^ got without merit, and lost without deserving^ you have lost 



ACT II. SCENE III 



79 



no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser. 
What^ man ! there are ways to recover the general again : 
you are but now cast in his mood, a punishment more in 
policy than in malice ; even so as one would beat his of- 
fenceless dog to affright an imperious lion. Sue to him 
again, and he 's yours. 257 

Cassio. I will rather sue to be despised than to deceive so 
good a commander with so slight, so drunken, and so indis- 
creet an officer. Drunk ? and speak parrot ? and squabble ? 
swagger ? swear ? and discourse fustian with one's own 
shadow? — O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no 
name to be known by, let us call thee devil! 

lago. What was he that you followed with your sword ? 
What had he done to you ? 

Cassio. I know not. 266 

lago. Is 't possible ? 

Cassio. I remember a mass of things, but nothing distinct- 
ly ; a quarrel, but nothing wherefore. — O God, that men 
should put an enemy, in their mouths to steal away their 
brains ! I that we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and ap- 
plause, transform ourselves into beastsT\ 272 

lago. "Why, but you are now well enough ; how came you 
thus recovered ? 

Cassio. It hath pleased the devil drunkenness to give place 
to the devil wrath ; one unperfectness shows me another, to 
make me frankly despise myself. 

lago. Come, you are too severe a moraler. As the time, 
the place, and the condition of this country stands, I could 
heartily wish this had not befallen ; but, since it is as it is, 
mend it for vour own good. 2S1 

Cassio. I will ask him for my place again ; he shall tell me 
I am a drunkard ! Had I as many mouths as Hydra, such 
an answer would stop them all. To be now a sensible man, 
by and by a fool, and presently a beast ! O strange ! Every 
inordinate cup is unblest, and the ingredient is a devil. 



80 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

/ago. Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature, 
if it be well used ; exclaim no more against it. And, good 
lieutenant, I think you think I love you. 

Cassio. I have well approved it, sir. — I drunk ! 290 

lago. You or any man living may be drunk at a time, man. 
I '11 tell you what you shall do. Our general's wife is now 
the general ; I may say so in this respect, for that he hath 
devoted and given up himself to the contemplation, mark, 
and denotement of her parts and graces. Confess yourself 
freely to her ; importune her help to put you in your place 
again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a dis- 
position, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do 
more than she is requested. This broken joint between you 
and her husband entreat her to splinter ; and, my fortunes 
against any lay worth naming, this crack of your love shall 
grow stronger than it was before. 302 

Cassio. You advise me well. 

Iago. I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kind- 
ness. 

Cassio. I think it freely ; and betimes in the morning I 
will beseech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me. 
I am desperate of my fortunes if they check me here. 

Iago. You are in the right. Good night, lieutenant; I 
must to the w r atch. 310 

Cassio. Good night, honest Iago. [£xit. 

Iago. And what 's he then that says I play the villain? 
When this advice is free I give and honest, 
Probal to thinking, and indeed the course 
To win the Moor again ? For 't is most easy 
The inclining Desdemona to subdue 
In any honest suit ; she 's fram'd as fruitful 
As the free elements. And then for her 
To win the Moor — were 't to renounce his baptism, 
All seals and symbols of redeemed sin, 320 

His soul is so enfetter'd to her love, 



ACT II. SCENE III. 8 1 

That she may make, unmake, do what she list, 

Even as her appetite shall play the god 

With his weak function. How am I then a villain 

To counsel Cassio to this parallel course, 

Directly to his good ? Divinity of hell ! 

When devils will the blackest sins put on, 

They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, 

As I do now : for whiles this honest fool 

Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes, 330 

And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, 

I '11 pour this pestilence into his ear, — 

That she repeals him for her body's lust ; 

And by how much she strives to do him good, 

She shall undo her credit with the Moor. 

So will I turn her virtue into pitch, 

And out of her own goodness make the net 

That shall enmesh them all. — 

Enter Roderigo. 

How now, Roderigo ! 338 

Roderigo. I do follow here in the chase, not like a hound 
that hunts, but one that fills up the cry. My money is al- 
most spent; I have been to-night exceedingly well cudgel- 
led ; and I think the issue will be, I shall have so much 
experience for my pains, and so, with no money at all and 
a little more wit, return again to Venice. 

Iago. How poor are they that have not rjatience ! 
(What wound did ever heal but by degrees P) 
Thou know'st we work by wit and not by witchcraft, 
And wit depends on dilatory time. 
Does 't not go well ? Cassio hath beaten thee, 
And thou, by that small hurt, hast cashier'd Cassio. 350 

Though other things grow fair against the sun. 
Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe ; 
Content thyself awhile. — By the mass, 't is morning ; 

F 



g 2 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

f Pleasure and action make the hours seem short!) 
Retire thee \ go where thou art billeted. 
Away, I say ; thou shalt know more hereafter : 
Nay, get thee gone. — \Exit Roderigo^\ Two things are to be 

done : 
My wife must move for Cassio to her mistress ; 
I '11 set her on : 

Myself the while to draw the Moor apart, 360 

And bring him jump when he may Cassio find 
Soliciting his wife. — Ay, that 's the way ; 
Dull not device by coldness and delay. \Exit. 




MELPOMENE, THE MUSE OF TRAGEDY. 




VENETIAN REMAINS AT FAMAGUSTA, CYPRUS. 



ACT III. 

Scene I. Before the Castle. 

Enter Cassio a?id some Musicians. 

Cassio. Masters, play here ; I will content your pains; 
Something that 's brief; and bid good morrow, general. 

[Music. 
Enter Clown. 

Clown. Why, masters, have your instruments been in Na- 
ples, that they speak i' the nose thus ? 



84 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

i Musician. How, sir, how ! 

Clown. Are these, I pray you, wind instruments ? 

i Musician. Ay, marry, are they, sir. 

Clown. O, thereby hangs a tale. But, masters, here 's 
money for you ; and the general so likes your music, that he 
desires you, for love's sake ; to make no more noise with it. 

i Musician. Well, sir, we will not. n 

Clown. If you have any music that may not be heard, to 
J t again ; but, as they say, to hear music the general does 
not greatly care. 

i Musician. We have none such, sir. 

Clown. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I '11 away. 
Go ; vanish into air \ away ! [Exeunt Musicians. 

Cassio. Dost thou hear, my honest friend ? 

Clown. No, I hear not your honest friend ; I hear you. 19 

Cassio. Prithee, keep up thy quillets. There 's a poor 
piece of gold for thee. If the gentlewoman that attends 
the general's wife be stirring, tell her there 's one Cassio 
entreats her a little favour of speech ; wilt thou do this ? 

Clown. She is stirring, sir ; if she will stir hither, I shall 
seem to notify unto her. 

Cassio. Do, good my friend. [Exit Clow m. 

Enter Iago. 

In happy time, Iago. 

Iago. You have not been a-bed, then ? 

Cassio. Why, no ; the day had broke 
Before we parted. I have made bold, Iago, 
To send in to your wife ; my suit to her 30 

Is, that she will to virtuous Desdemona 
Procure me some access. 

Iago. I '11 send her to you presently ; 

And I '11 devise a mean to draw the Moor 
Out of the way, that your converse and business 
May be more free. 



ACT III. SCENE II 85 

Cassio. I humbly thank you for 't. — [Exit /ago.] I never 
knew 
A Florentine more kind and honest. 

Enter Emilia. 

Emilia. Good morrow, good lieutenant ; I am sorry 
For your displeasure, but all will sure be well. 
The general and his wife are talking of it ; 40 

And she speaks for you stoutly : the Moor replies, 
That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus 
And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom 
He might not but refuse you ; but he protests he loves you, 
And needs no other suitor but his likings 
To take the safest occasion by the front 
To bring you in again. 

Cassio. Yet, I beseech you, 

If you think fit, or that it may be. done, 
Give me advantage of some brief discourse 
With Desdemona alone. 

Emilia. Pray you, come in ; 5° 

I will bestow you where you shall have time 
To speak your bosom freely. 

Cassio. I am much bound to you. 

[Exeunt. 

Scene II. A Room in the Castle. 
Enter Othello, Iago, and Gentlemen. 

Othello.. These letters give, Iago, to the pilot ; 
And by him do my duties to the senate. 
That done, I will be walking on the works ; 
Repair there to me. 

Iago. Well, my good lord, I '11 do 't. 

Othello. This fortification, gentlemen, shall we see J t ? 

Gentlemen. We '11 wait upon your lordship. [Exeunt. 



S6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



Scene III. The Garden of the Castle. 
Enter Desdemona, Cassio, and Emilia. 

Desdemo7ia. Be thou assur'd, good Cassio, I will do 
All my abilities in thy behalf. 

Emilia. Good madam, do; I warrant it grieves my hus- 
band, 
As if the case were his. 

Desdemona. O, that 's an honest fellow. — Do not doubt, 
Cassio, 
But I will have my lord and you again 
As friendly a*s you were. 

Cassio. Bounteous madam, 

Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio, 
He 's never any thing but your true servant. 

Desdemona. I know 't \ I thank you. You do love my 
lord : 10 

You have known him long • and be you well assur'd 
He shall in strangeness stand no further off 
Than in a politic distance. 

Cassio. Ay, but, lady, 

That policy may either last so long, 
Or feed upon such nice and waterish diet, 
Or breed itself so out of circumstance, 
That, I being absent and my place supplied, 
My general will forget my love and service. 

Desdemona. Do not doubt that ; before Emilia here 
I give thee warrant of thy place. Assure thee, 20 

If I do vow a friendship, I '11 perform it 
To the last article : my lord shall never rest ; 
I '11 watch him tame and talk him out of patience ; 
His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift ; 
I '11 intermingle every thing he does 
With Cassio's suit. Therefore be merry, Cassio ; 



ACT III. SCENE HI. 87 

For thy solicitor shall rather die 
Than give thy cause away. 

Emilia. Madam, here comes my lord. 

Cassio. Madam, I '11 take my leave. 30 

Desdemona. Why, stay, and hear me speak. 

Cassio. Madam, not now ; I am very ill at ease, 
Unfit for mine own purposes. 

Desdemona. Well, do your discretion. [Exit Cassio. 

Enter Othello and Iago. 
z 

Iago. Ha ! I like not that. 

Othelh. What dost thou say ? 

Iago. Nothing, my lord ; or if — I know not what. 

Othello. Was not that Cassio parted from my wife ? 

Iago. Cassio, my lord ! No, sure, I cannot think it, 
That he would steal away so guilty-like, 
Seeing you coming. 

Othello. I do believe 't was he. 40 

Desdemona. How now, my lord ! 
I have been talking with a suitor here, 
A man that languishes in your displeasure. 

Othello. Who is 't you mean ? 

Desdemona. Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my lord, 
If I have any grace or power to move you, 
His present reconciliation take ; 
For if he be not one that truly loves you, 
That errs in ignorance and not in cunning, 
I have no judgment in an honest face. 5 o 

I prithee, call him back. 

Othello. Went he hence now? 

Desdemona. Ay, sooth \ so humbled 
That he hath left part of his grief with me, 
To suffer with him. Good love, call him back. 

Othello. Not now, sweet Desdemona; some other time. 

Desdemona. But shall 't be shortly ? 



88 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Othello. The sooner, sweet, for you. 

Desdemona. Shall 't be to-night at supper ? 

Othello. No, not to-night. 

Desdemona. To-morrow dinner, then ? 

Othello. I shall not dine at home ; 

I meet the captains at the citadel. 59 

Desdemona. Why, then, to-morrow night, or Tuesday morn \ 
On Tuesday noon, or night ; on Wednesday morn : 
I prithee name the time, but let it not 
Exceed three days. In faith, he 's penitent; 
And yet his trespass, in our common reason — 
Save that, they say, the wars must make examples 
Out of their best — is not almost a fault 
To incur a private check. When shall he come ? 
Tell me, Othello ; I wonder in my soul, 
What you would ask me that I should deny, 
Or stand so mammering on. What ! Michael Cassio, 70 
That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time, 
When I have spoke of you dispraisingly, 
Hath ta'en your part, — to have so much to do 
To bring him in ! Trust me, I could do much — 

Othello. Prithee, no more : let him come when he will ; 
I will deny thee nothing. 

Desde7nona. Why, this is not a boon ; 

'T is as I should entreat you wear your gloves, 
Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep you warm, 
Or sue to you to do a peculiar profit 

To your own person : nay, when I have a suit 80 

Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed, 
It shall be full of poise and difficult weight, 
And fearful to be granted. 

Othello. ■ I will denv thee nothing: ; 

Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant ine this, 
To leave me but a little to myself. 

Desde7?iona. Shall I deny you ? no \ farewell, my lord. 



ACT HI. SCENE III. 8 9 

Othello. Farewell, my Desdemona ; I '11 come to thee 
straight. 

Desdemona. Emilia, come. — Be as your fancies teach you; 
Whate'er you be, I am obedient. 

[Exeunt Desdemona and Emilia. 
\JI Othello. Excellent wretch ! Perdition catch my soul, 90 
^"But I do love thee ! and when I love thee not, 
Chaos is come again. 

Iago. My noble lord, — 

Othello. What dost thou say, Iago ? 

Iago. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady, 
Know of your love? 

Othello. He did, from first to last ; why dost thou ask ? 

Iago. But for a satisfaction of my thought ; 
No further harm. 

Othello. Why of thy thought, Iago ? 

Iago. I did not think he had been acquainted with her. 

Othello. O, yes ; and went between us very oft. 100 

Iago. Indeed ! 

Othello. Indeed! ay, indeed; discern'st thou aught in that? 
Is he not honest ? 

Iago. Honest, my lord ! 

Othello. Honest! ay, honest. 

Iago. My lord, for aught I know. 

Othello. What dost thou think? 

Iago. Think, my lord ! 

s Othello. Think, my lord ! 

By heaven, he echoes me, 
As if there were some monster in his thought 
Too hideous to be shown. — Thou dost mean something, 
I heard thee say even now, thou lik'dst not that, 
When Cassio left my wife : what didst not like ? 
And when I told thee he was of my counsel 
In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst ' Indeed !' 
And didst contract and purse thy brow together, 



9° 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain 
Some horrible conceit. If thou dost love me, 
Show me thy thought. 

lago. My lord, you know I love you. 

Othello. I think thou dost ; 

And, for I know thou 'rt full of love and honesty, 
And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath, 
Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more : 120 

For such things in a* false disloyal knave 
Are tricks of custom, but in a man that 's just 
.They are close delations, working from the heart 
That passion cannot rule. \ 

lago. For Michael Cassio, 

I dare be sworn I think that he is honest. 

Othello. I think so too. 

lago. j Men should be what they seem j 

Or those that be not, would they might seem none| 

Othello. Certain, men should be what they seem. 

lago. Why, then, I think Cassio 's an honest man. 

Othello. Nay, yet there 's more in this. 130 

I prithee, speak to me as to thy thinkings, 
As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts 
The worst of words. 

lago. Good, my lord, pardon me ; 

Though I am bound to every act of duty, 
I am not bound to that all slaves are free to. 
Utter my thoughts ? Why, say they are vile and false, — 
As where 's that palace whereinto foul things 
Sometimes intrude not? who has a breast so pure, 
But some uncleanly apprehensions 

Keep leets and law-days, and in session sit 140 

With meditations lawful ? 

Othello. Thou dost conspire against thy friend, lago, 
If thou but think'st him wrong'd and mak'st his ear 
A stranger to thy thoughts. 



( 



ACT III. SCENE III 9 i 

Iago. I do beseech you — 

Though I perchance am vicious in my guess, 
As, I confess, it is my nature's plague 
To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy 
Shapes faults that are not — that your wisdom yet, 
From one that so imperfectly conceits, 

Would take no notice, nor build yourself a trouble 150 

Out of his scattering and unsure observance. 
It were not for your quiet nor your good, 
Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom, 
To let you know my thoughts. 

Othello. What dost thou mean ? 

Iago. (Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, 
Is the immediate jewel of their souls. 

Who steals my purse steals trash ; 't is something, nothing ; 
'T was mine, 't is his, and has been slave to thousands • 
But he that filches from me my good name 
Robs me of that which not enriches him 160 

And makes me poor indeed! ^S 

Othello. By heaven, I '11 know thy thoughts. 

Iago. ffou cannot, if my heart were in your hand^ 
Nor shall not, whilst 't is in my custody. 

Othello. Ha! 

Iago. O, beware, my lord, of jealousy ; 

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock 

The meat it feeds on : that cuckold lives in bliss < 

Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; 

But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er 

Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves ! i 7 o 

Othello. O misery ! 

Iago. Poor and content is rich, and rich enough ; 
But riches fineless is as poor as winter 
To him that ever fears he shall be poor. 
Good heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend 
From jealousy ! 



g 2 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Othello. Why, why is this ? 

Think'st thou I 'd make a life of jealousy, 
To follow still the changes of the moon 
With fresh suspicions ? No ; to be once in doubt 
Is once to be resolv'd : exchange me for a goat, 180 

When I shall turn the business of my soul 
To such exsufflicate and blown surmises, 
Matching thy inference. 'T is not to make me jealous 
To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company, 
Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well ; 
Where virtue is, these are more virtuous : 
Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw 
The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt ; 
For she had eyes, and chose me. No, I ago ! 
I '11 see before I doubt ; when I doubt, prove : 190 

And on the proof there is no more but this, — 
Away at once with love or jealousy ! 

Iago. I am glad of it; for now I shall have reason 
To show the love and duty that I bear you 
With franker spirit ; therefore, as I am bound, 
Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. 
Look to your w T ife \ observe her well with Cassio ; 
Wear your eye thus, not jealous nor secure: 
I would not have your free and noble nature 
Out of self-bounty be abus'd ; look to 't. 200 

I know our country disposition well : 
In Venice they do let heaven see the pranks 
They dare not show their husbands ; their best conscience 
Is not to leave 't undone, but keep 't unknown. 

Othello. Dost thou say so ? 

Iago. She did deceive her father, marrying you ; 
And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks, 
She lov'd them most. 

Othello. And so she did. 

Iago. Why, go to, then ; 



ACT III. SCENE III. 93 

She that, so young, could give out such a seeming, 
To seel her father's eyes up close as oak — 210 

He thought 't was witchcraft — but I am much to blame ; 
1 1 humbly do beseech you of your pardon 
For too much loving you. 

Othello. I am bound to thee for ever. 

lago. I see this hath a little dash'd your spirits. 

Othello. Not a jot, not a jot. 

Iago. I' faith, I fear it has. 

I hope you will consider what is spoke 
Comes from my love. But I do see you 're mov'd : 
I am to pray you not to strain my speech 
To grosser issues nor to larger reach 
Than to suspicion. 220 

Othello. I will not. 

Iago. Should you do so, my lord, 

My speech should fall into such vile success 
As my thoughts aim not at. Cassio 's my worthy friend — 
My lord, I see you 're mov'd. 

Othello. No, not much mov'd ; 

I do not think but Desdemona 's honest. 

Iago. Long live she so ! and long live you to think so ! 

Othello. And yet, how nature erring from itself, — 

Iago. Ay, there 's the point ; as — to be bold with you — 
Not to affect many proposed matches 

Of her own clime, complexion, and degree, 230 

Whereto we see in all things nature tends — 
Foh ! one may smell in such a will most rank, 
Foul disproportion, thoughts unnatural. — 
But pardon me ; I do not in position 
Distinctly speak of her, though I may fear 
Her will, recoiling to her better judgment, 
May fall to match you with her country forms 
And happily repent. 

Othello. Farewell, farewell : 



94 OTHELLO, TILE MOOR OF VENICE. 

If more thou dost perceive, let me know more \ 

Set on thy wife to observe : leave me, Iago. 240 

/ago. [Going] My lord, I take my leave. 

Othello. Why did I marry? This honest creature doubt- 
less 
Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds. 

Iago. \Retnr?iing\ My lord, I would I might entreat your 
honour 
To scan this thing no further ; leave it to time. 
Though it be fit that Cassio have his place, 
For, sure, he fills it up with great ability, 
Yet, if you please to hold him off awhile, 
You shall by that perceive him and his means. 
Note if your lady strain his entertainment 250 

With any strong or vehement importunity ; 
Much will be seen in that. In the mean time, 
Let me be thought too busy in my fears — 
As worthy cause I have to fear I am — 
And hold her free, I do beseech your honour. 

Othello. Fear not my government. 

Iago. I once more take my leave. \Exit. 

Othello. This fellow 's of exceeding honesty, 
And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit, 
Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard, 260 

Though that her jesses were my dear heart-strings, 
I 'd whistle her off and let her down the wind, 
To prey at fortune. Haply, for I am black, 
And have not those soft parts of conversation 
That chamberers have, or for I am declin'd 
Into the vale of years, — yet that 's not much — 
She 's gone. I am abus'd ; and my relief 
Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage, 
That we can call these delicate creatures ours, 
And not their appetites ! I had rather be a toad, _-o 

And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, 



ACT III. SCENE III- 95 

Than keep a corner in the thing I love 

For others' uses. Yet, 't is the plague of great ones ; 

Prerogative are they less than the base ; 

'T is destiny unshunnable, like death : 

Even then this forked plague is fated to us 

When we do quicken. — Desdemona comes. 

Enter Desdemona and Emilia. 

If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself! 
I '11 not believe % 

Desdemona. How now, my dear Othello ! 

Your dinner, and the generous islanders 280 

By you invited, do attend your presence. 

Othello. I am to blame. 

Desdemona. Why do you speak so faintly ? 

Are you not well ? 

Othello. I have a pain upon my forehead here. 

Desdemona. Faith, that 's with watching ; 't will away again : 
Let me but bind it hard, within this hour 
It will be well. 

Othsllo. Your napkin is too little • 

[He puts the handkerchief from him ; and it drops. ' 
Let it alone. Come, I '11 go in with you. 

Desdemona. I am very sorry that you are not well. 

[Exeunt Othello and Desdemona. 

Emilia. I am glad I have found this napkin. 290 

This was her first remembrance from the Moor : 
My wayward husband hath a hundred times 
Woo'd me to steal it ; but she so loves the token, 
For he conjur'd her she should ever keep it, 
That she reserves it evermore about her 
To kiss and talk to. I '11 have the work ta'en out, 
And give 't Iago : what he will do with it 
Heaven knows, not I ; 
I nothing but to please his fantasy. 



9 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Enter Iago. 

lago. How now ! what do you here alone ? 300 

Emilia. Do not you chide ; I have a thing for you. 

Iago. A thing for me ? it is a common thing — 

Emilia. Ha ! 

Iago. To have a foolish wife. 

Emilia. O, is that all ? What will you give me now 
For that same handkerchief? 

Iago. What handkerchief? 

Emilia. What handkerchief ! 
Why, that the Moor first gave to Desdemona ; 
That which so often you did bid me steal. 

Iago. Hast stol'n it from her ? 31c 

Emilia. No, faith ; she let it drop by negligence, 
And, to the advantage, I, being here, took \ up. 
Look, here it is. 

Iago. A good wench ; give it me. 

Emilia. What will you do with % that you have been so 
earnest 
To have me filch it. 

Iago. [Snatching ii\ Why, what 's that to you ? 

Emilia. If it be not for some purpose of import, 
Give 't me again ; poor lady, she '11 run mad 
When she shall lack it. 

Iago. Be not acknown on 't ; I have use for it. 319 

Go, leave me. [Exit Emilia. 

I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin, 
And let him find it. Trifles light as air 
Are to the jealous confirmations strong 
As proofs of holy writ /this may do something. 
The Moor already changes with my poison ; 
Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, 
Which at the first are scarce found to distaste, 
But with a little act upon the blood 



ACT III. SCENE III. 



97 



Burn like the mines of sulphur. — I did say so; 
Look, where he comes ! 



Enter Othello. 

Not poppy, nor mandragora, 330 
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, 
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep 
Which thou ow'dst yesterday. 

Othello. Ha ! ha ! false to me ? 

Iago. Why, how now, general ! no more of that. 

Othello. A vaunt ! be gone ! thou hast set me on the rack. 
I swear 't is better to be much abus'd 
Than but to know 't a little. 

Iag67~ How now, my lord ! 

Othello. What sense had I of her stoPn hours of lust ? 
I saw 't not, thought it not, it harm'd not me : 
I slept the next night well, was free and merry ; 340 

I found not Cassio's kisses on her lips : 
He that is robb'd, not wanting what is stol'n, 
Let him not know 't, and he 's not robb'd at all.) 

J ago. I am sorry to hear this. 

Othello. I had been happy, if the general camp, 
Pioners and all, had tasted her sweet body, 
So I had nothing known. O, now, for ever 
Farewell the tranquil mind ! farewell content ! 
Farewell the plumed troop, and the big w r ars, 
That make ambition virtue ! O, farewell ! 350 

Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, 
The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, 
The royal banner, and all quality, 
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war! 
And, O you mortal engines, whose rude throats 
The immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit, 
Farewell ! Othello's occupation 's gone ! 

Iago. Is 't possible, my lord ? 

G 



9 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Othello. Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, 
Be sure of it : give me the ocular proof; 360 

Or, by the worth of man's eternal soul, 
Thou hadst been better have been born a dog 
Than answer my wak'd wrath ! 

Iago. Is 't come to this ? 

Othello. Make me to see 't ; or, at the least, so prove it, 
That the probation bear no hinge nor loop 
To hang a doubt on ; or woe upon thy life ! 

Iago. My noble lord, — 

Othello. If thou dost slander her and torture me, 
Never pray more ; abandon all remorse ; 
On horror's head horrors accumulate ; 370 

Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amaz'd : 
For nothing canst thou to damnation add 
Greater than that. 

Iago. O grace ! O heaven forgive me ! 

Are you a man ? have you a soul or sense ? 
God be wi' you ; take mine office. O wretched fool, 
That liv'st to make thine honesty a vice ! 

monstrous world ! Take note, take note, O world, 
To be direct and honest is not safe. 

1 thank you for this profit ; and from hence 

I '11 love no friend, sith love breeds such offence. 380 

Othello. Nay, stay ; thou shouldst be honest. 
Iago. I should be wise, for honesty 's a fool, 

And loses that it works for. 

Othello. By the world, 

I think my wife be honest, and think she is not ; 

I think that thou art just, and think thou art not. 

I '11 have some proof. Her name, that was as fresh 

As Dian's visage, is now begrim'd and black 

As mine own face. If there be cords, or knives, 

Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, 

I '11 not endure it. Would I were satisfied ! 390 



ACT III. SCENE III. 99 

Iago. I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion ; 
I do repent me that I put it to you. 
You would be satisfied ? 

Othello. Would ! nay, I will. 

Iago. And may : but, how ? how satisfied, my lord ? 
If imputation and strong circumstances, 
Which lead directly to the door of truth, 
Will give you satisfaction, you may have 't. 

Othello. Give me a living reason she 's disloyal. 

Iago. I do not like the office ; 
But, sith I am enter'd in this cause so far, 4 oo 

Prick'd to 't by foolish honesty and love, 
I will go on. I lay with Cassio lately ; 
And, being troubled with a raging tooth, 
I could not sleep. 

There are a kind of men so loose of soul, 
That in their sleeps will mutter their affairs; 
One of this kind is Cassio. 
In sleep I heard him say ' Sweet Desdemona, 
Let us be wary, let us hide our loves;' 

And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand, 410 

Cry ' O sweet creature !' and then kiss me hard, 
As if he pluck'd up kisses by the roots 
That grew upon my lips ; and sigh'd, and then 
Cried ' Cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor !' 

Othello. O monstrous ! monstrous ! 

Iago. Nay, this was but his dream. 

Othello. But this denoted a foregone conclusion ; 
'T is a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream. 

Iago. And this may help to thicken other proofs 
That do demonstrate thinly. 

Othello, I '11 tear her all to pieces ! 

Iago. Nay, but be wise : yet we see nothing done ; 420 

She may be honest yet. Tell me but this, 
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief 
Sootted with strawberries in vour wife's hand ? 



xoo OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

Othello. I gave her such a one ; 't was my first gift. 

Iago. I know not that ; but such a handkerchief — 
I am sure it was your wife's — did I to-day 
See Cassio wipe his beard with. 

Othello. If it be that — 

Iago. If it be that, or any that was hers, 
It speaks against her with the other proofs. 

Othello. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives ! 430 
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. 
Now do I see 't is true. Look here, Iago; 
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. 
'T is gone. 

Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell ! 
Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne 
To tyrannous hate ! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, 
For 't is of aspics' tongues ! 

Iago. Yet be content. 

Othello. O, blood, blood, blood ! 439 

Iago. Patience, I say \ your mind perhaps may change. 

Othello. Never, Iago. Like to the Pontic sea, 
Whose icy current and compulsive course 
Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on 
To the Propontic and the Hellespont, 
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, 
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love, 
Till that a capable and wide revenge 

Swallow them up. Now, by yond marble heaven, \Kneels. 
In the due reverence of a sacred vow 
I here engage my words. 

Iago. Do not rise yet. — \Kneels. 

Witness, you ever-burning lights above, 451 

You elements that clip us round about, 
Witness that here Iago doth give up 
The execution of his wit, hands, heart, 
To wrong'd Othello's service ! Let him command, 



ACT III. SCENE IV. I O I 

And to obey shall be in me remorse, 

What bloody business ever. [They rise. 

Othello. I greet thy love, 

Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous, 
And will upon the instant put thee to 't ; 
Within these three days let me hear thee say 460 

That Cassio 's not alive. 

Iago. My friend is dead • 't is done at your request : 
But let her live. 

Othello. Damn her, lewd minx ! O, damn her ! 

Come, go with me apart ; I will withdraw, 
To furnish me with some swift means of death 
For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant. 

Iago. I am your own for ever. [Exeunt 

Scene IV. Before the Castle. 
Enter Desdemona, Emilia, and Clown. 

Desdemona. Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant Cas- 
sio lies? 

Clown. I dare not say he lies any where. 

Desdemona. Why, man ? 

Clown. He ? s a soldier, and for one to say a soldier lies, is 
stabbing. 

Desdemona. Go to ■ where lodges he ? 

Clown. To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where 
I lie. 

Desdemona. Can any thing be made of this ? 10 

Clown. I know not where he lodges ; and for me to devise 
a lodging, and say he lies here or he lies there, were to lie in 
mine own throat. 

Desdemona. Can you inquire him out, and be edified by 
report ? 

Clown. I will catechize the world for him;, that is, make 
questions, and by them answer. 



I02 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

Desdemona, Seek him, bid him come hither ; tell him I 
have moved my lord on his behalf, and hope all will be well. 

Clown. To do this is within the compass of man's wit, 
and therefore I will attempt the doing. [Exit. 

Desde?7iona. Where should I lose that handkerchief, 
Emilia ? 22 

Emilia. I know not, madam. 

Desdemona. Believe me, I had rather have lost my purse 
Full of crusadoes ; and, but my noble Moor 
Is true of mind and made of no such baseness 
As jealous creatures are, it were enough 
To put him to ill thinking. 

Emilia. Is he notjealous? 

Desdemona. Who, he ? I think the sun where he was born 
Drew all such humours from him. 

Emilia. Look, where he comes. 

Desde??io?ia. I will not leave him now till Cassio 31 

Be calPd to him. 

Enter Othello. 

How is 't with you, my lord ? 

Othello. Well, my good lady. — [Aside] O, hardness to 
dissemble ! — 
How do you, Desdemona ? 

Desdemona. Well, my good lord. 

Othello. Give me your hand. This hand is moist, my lady. 

Desdemona. It yet hath felt no age nor known no sorrow. 

Othello. This argues fruitfulness and liberal heart. 
Hot, hot, and moist: this hand of yours requires 
A sequester from liberty, fasting and prayer, 
Much castigation, exercise devout; 40 

For here 's a young and sweating devil here, 
That commonly rebels. 'T is a good hand, 
A frank one. 

Desdemona. . You may, indeed, say so ; 
For 't was that hand that gave away my heart. 



ACT III. SCENE IV. 



103 



Othello. A liberal hand : the hearts of old gave hands ; 
But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts. 

Desdemona. I cannot speak of this. Come now, your 
promise. 

Othello. What promise, chuck ? 

Desdemona. I have sent to bid Cassio come speak with 
you. 

Othello. I have a salt and sorry rheum offends me ; 5° 

Lend me thy handkerchief. 

Desdemona. Here, my lord. 

Othello. That which I gave you. 

Desdemona. I have it not about me. 

Othello. Not? 

Desdemona. No, indeed, my lord. 

Othello. That is a fault. 

That handkerchief 
Did an Egyptian to my mother give \ 
She was a charmer, and could almost read 
The thoughts of people : she told her, while she kept it, 
'T would make her amiable and subdue my father 
Entirely to her love, but if she lost it 

Or made a gift of it, my father's eye 60 

Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt 
After new fancies. She dying gave it me ■ 
And bid me, when my fate would have me wive, 
To give it her. I did so : and take heed on 't ; 
Make it a darling like your precious eye : 
To lose 't or give 't away were such perdition 
As nothing else could match. 

Desdemona. Is \ possible ? 

Othello. 'T is true; there 's magic in the web of it. 
A sibyl, that had number'd in the world 
The sun to course two hundred compasses, 70 

In her prophetic fury sew'd the work ; 
The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk; 



I04 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

And it was dyed in mummy which the skilful 
Conserv'd of maidens' hearts. 

Desdemona. Indeed ! is 't true ? 

Othello. Most veritable ; therefore look to 't well. 

Desdemona. Then would to God that I had never seen 't! 

Othello. Ha ! wherefore ? 

Desdemona. Why do you speak so startingly and rash ? 

Othello. Is 't lost ? is 't gone ? speak, is it out o' the way ? 

Desdemona. Heaven bless us ! 80 

Othello. Say you ? 

Desdemona. It is not lost ; but what an if it were ? 

Othello. How ! 

Desdemo7ia. I say, it is not lost. 

Othello. Fetch 't, let me see 't. 

Desdemona. Why, so I can, sir, but I will not now. 
This is a trick to put me from my suit ; 
Pray you, let Cassio be receiv'd again. 

Othello. Fetch me the handkerchief; my mind misgives. 

Desdemona. Come, come ; 
You '11 never meet a more sufficient man. 90 

Othello. The handkerchief! 

Desdemona. I pray, talk me of Cassio. 

Othello. The handkerchief! 

Desdemona. A man that all his time 

Hath founded his good fortunes on your love, 
Shar'd dangers with you, — 

Othello. The handkerchief! 

Desdemona. In sooth, you are to blame. 

Othello. Away! [Exit. 

Emilia. Is not this man jealous? 

Desdemona. I ne'er saw this before. 
Sure, there 's some wonder in this handkerchief; 100 

I am most unhappy in the loss of it. 

Emilia. 'T is not a year or two shows us a man : 
They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; 



ACT III. SCENE IV. 



i°5 



They eat us hungerly, and when they are full 

They belch us. Look you, Cassio and my husband ! 

Enter Cassio and Iago. 

lago. There is no other way ; 't is she must do 't : 
And, lo, the happiness ! go, and importune her. 

JDesde?no?ia. How now, good Cassio ! what 's the news 
with you ? 

Cassio. Madam, my former suit: I do beseech you 
That by your virtuous means I may again no 

Exist, and be a member of his love 
Whom I with all the office of my heart 
Entirely honour; I would not be delay'd. 
If my offence be of such mortal kind 
That nor my service past nor present sorrows 
Nor purpos'd merit in futurity 
Can ransom me into his love again, 
But to know so must be my benefit, 
So shall I clothe me in a forc'd content, 
And shut myself up in some other course 120 

To fortune's alms. 

Desdemona. Alas, thrice-gentle Cassio! 

My advocation is not now in tune ; 
My lord is not my lord, nor should I know him, 
Were he in favour as in humour alter'd. 
So help me every spirit sanctified, 
As I have spoken for you all my best 
And stood within the blank of his displeasure 
For my free speech ! You must awhile be patient : 
What I can do I will ; and more I will 
Than for myself I dare : let that suffice you. 130 

Iago. Is my lord angry ? 

Emilia. He went hence but now, 

And certainly in strange unquietness. 

Iago. Can he be angry ? I have seen the cannon, 



106 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

When it hath blown his ranks into the air, 
And, like the devil, from his very arm 
Puff 'd his own brother ; — and can he be angry ? 
Something of moment then: I will go meet him; 
There 's matter in \ indeed, if he be angry. 

Desdemona. I prithee, do so. — [Exit /ago. 

Something, sure, of state, 
Either from Venice or some unhatch'd practice 140 

Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him, 
Hath puddled his clear spirit ; and in such cases 
Men's natures wrangle with inferior things, 
Though great ones are their object. 'T is even so; 
For let our ringer ache, and it indues 
Our other healthful members even to that sense 
Of pain : nay, we must think men are not gods, 
Nor of them look for such observancy 
As fits, the bridal. Beshrew me much, Emilia, 
I was, unhandsome warrior as I am, 150 

Arraigning his unkindness with my soul; 
But now I find I had suborn'd the witness, 
And he 's indicted falsely. 

Emilia. Pray heaven it be state matters, as you think, 
And no conception nor no jealous toy 
Concerning you. 

Desdemona. Alas the day ! I never gave him cause. 

Emilia. But jealous souls will not be answer'd so; 
They are not ever jealous for the cause, 
But jealous for they are jealous : 't is a monster 160 

Begot upon itself, born on itself. 

Desdemona. Heaven keep that monster from Othello's 
mind ! 

Emilia. Lady, amen. 

Desdemona. I will go seek him. — Cassio, walk hereabout ; 
If I do find him fit, I '11 move your suit 
And seek to effect it to my uttermost. 



ACT III. SCENE IV. 



107 



Cassio. I humbly thank your ladyship. 

[Exeunt Desdemona and Emilia. 

Enter Bianca. 

Bianca. Save you, friend Cassio ! 

Cassio. What make you from home ? 

How is it with you, my most fair Bianca ? 
I'* faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house. 170 

Bianca. And I was going to your lodging, Cassio. 
What, keep a week away? seven days and nights ? 
'Eight score eight hours? and lovers' absent hours, 
More tedious than the dial eight score times ? 

weary reckoning ! 

Cassio. Pardon me, Bianca ; 

1 have this while with leaden thoughts been press'd, 
But I shall in a more continuate time 

Strike off this score of absence. Sweet Bianca, 

[Giving her Desdemona 's handkerchief. 
Take me this work out. 

Bianca. O Cassio, whence came this ? 

This is some token from a newer friend ; 180 

To the felt absence now I feel a cause. 
Is 't come to this ? W 7 ell, well. 

Cassio. Go to, woman ! 

Throw your vile guesses in the devil's teeth, 
From whence you have them. You are jealous now 
That this is from some mistress, some remembrance; 
No, in good troth, Bianca. 

Bianca. Why, whose is it ? 

Cassio. I know not, sweet ; I found it in my chamber. 
I like the work well ; ere it be demanded — 
As like enough it will — I 'd have it copied : 
Take it, and do 't; and leave me for this time. 190 

Bianca. Leave you ! wherefore ? 

Cassio. I do attend here on the oreneral ; 



io8 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



And think it no addition, nor my wish, 
To have him see me woman'd. 

Bianca. Why, I pray you ? 

Cassio. Not that I love you not. 

Bianca. But that you do not love me. 

I pray you, bring me on the way a little, 
And say if I shall see you soon at night. 

Cassio. 'T is but a little way that I can bring you, 
For I attend here ; but I '11 see you soon. 

Bianca. 'T is very good ; I must be circumstanc'd. 200 

\Exeiciit. 




'a noble ship of Venice" (ii. i. 22). 





THE CITADEL AT FAMAGUSTA. 



ACT IV. 

Scene I. Cyprus. Before the Castle, 

Enter Othello and Iago. 

lago. Will you think so ? 

Othello. Think so, Iago ! 

Iago. What, 

To kiss in private ? 

Othello. An unauthoriz'd kiss. 

It is hypocrisy against the devil , 
They that mean virtuously and yet do so, 
The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven. 

Iago. So they do nothing, \ is a venial slip ; 
But if I give my wife a handkerchief, — 

Othello. What then} 

Iago. Why, then, J t is hers, my lord; and, being hers, 
She may, I think, bestow \ on any man. 

Othello. She is protectress of her honour too; 
May she give that ? 



IIO OTHELLO, THE MOOR OE VENICE. 

/ago. Her honour is an essence that 's not seen; 
They have it very oft that have it not : 
But, for the handkerchief, — 

Othello. By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it. 
Thou said'st — O, it comes o'er my memory, 
As doth the raven o'er the infected house, 
Boding to all — he had my handkerchief. 

Iago. Ay, what of that ? 

Othello. That 's not so good now. 

Iago. What, 

If I had said I had seen him do you wrong? 21 

Or heard him say, — as knaves be such abroad, 
Who having, by their own importunate suit, 
Or voluntary dotage of some mistress, 
Convinced or supplied them, cannot choose 
But they must blab — 

Othello. Hath he said any thing ? 

Iago. He hath, my lord ; but be you well assur'd, 
No more than he '11 unswear. 

Othello. What hath he said ? 

Iago. Faith, that he did — I know not what he did. 29 

Othello. What ? what ? — Handkerchief — confessions — 
handkerchief! — To confess, and be hanged for his labour; 
— first, to be hanged, and then to confess. — I tremble at it. 
Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion 
without some instruction. It is not words that shake me 
thus. Pish ! Noses, ears, and lips. — Is 't possible ? — Con- 
fess — handkerchief! — O devil! \_Falls in a trance. 

Iago. Work on, 
My medicine, work ! Thus credulous fools are caught ; 
And many worthy and chaste dames even thus, 
All guiltless, meet reproach. — What, ho ! my lord ! 40 

My lord, I say ! Othello ! 



ACT IV. SCENE L III 

Enter Cassio. 

How now, Cassio ! 

Cassio. What 's the matter? 

/ago. My lord is falPn into an epilepsy : 
This is his second fit ; he had one yesterday. 

Cassio. Rub him about the temples. 

Iago. No, forbear; 

The lethargy must have his quiet course : 
If not, he foams at mouth, and by and by 
Breaks out to savage madness. Look, he stirs : 
Do you withdraw yourself a little while, 
He will recover straight; when he is gone, 50 

I would on great occasion speak with you. [Exit Cassio. 

How is it, general ? have you not hurt your head ? 

Othello. Dost thou mock me ? 

Iago. I mock you ! no, by heaven. 

Would you would bear your fortune like a man ! 

Othello. A horned man ? s a monster and a beast. 

Iago. There 's many a beast then in a populous city, 
And many a civil monster. 

Othello. Did he confess it ? 

Iago. Good sir, be a man ; 

Think every bearded fellow that 's but yok'd 
May draw with you. There 's millions now alive 60 

That nightly lie in those unproper beds 
Which they dare swear peculiar; your case is better. 
O, 't is the spite of hell, the fiend's arch-mock, 
To lip a wanton in a secure couch, 
And to suppose her chaste ! No, let me know ; 
And knowing what I am, I know what she shall be. 

Othello. O, thou art wise ; \ is certain. 

Iago. Stand you awhile apart ; 

Confine yourself but in a patient list. 
Whilst you were here o'erwhelmed with your grief — 



H2 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

A passion most unsuiting such a man — 70 

Cassio came hither : I shifted him away, 

And laid good 'scuse upon your ecstasy, 

Bade him anon return and here speak with me ; 

The which he promis'd. Do but en cave yourself, 

And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns, 

That dwell in every region of his face; 

For I will make him tell the tale anew, 

Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when 

He hath, and is again to cope your wife : 

I say, but mark his gesture. Marry, patience; 80 

Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen, 

And nothing of a man. 

Othello. Dost thou hear, lago ? 

I will be found most cunning in my patience; 
But — dost thou hear ? — most bloody. 

Iago. That 's not amiss; 

But yet keep time in all. Will you withdraw ? 

[Ot/iello retires. 
Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, 
A housewife that by selling her desires 
Buys herself bread and clothes : it is a creature 
That dotes on Cassio; as 't is the strumpet's plague 
To beguile many and be beguil'd by one. 90 

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain 
From the excess of laughter. — Here he comes. — 

Re-e?iter Cassio. 

As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad; 

And his unbookish jealousy must construe 

Poor Cassio's smiles, gestures, and light behaviour, 

Quite in the wrong. — How do you now, lieutenant? 

Cassio. The worser that you give me the addition 
Whose want even kills me. 

Iago. Ply Desdemona well, and you are sure on 't. 



ACT IV. SCENE I. 113 

Now, if this suit lay in Bianca's power, 100 

How quickly should you speed ! 

Cassio. Alas, poor caitiff ! 

Othello. Look, how he laughs already ! 

/ago. I never knew woman love man so. 

Cassio. Alas, poor rogue ! I think, i' faith, she loves me. 

Othello. Now he denies it faintly, and laughs it out. 

/ago. Do you hear, Cassio ? 

Othello. Now he importunes him 

To tell it o'er: go to; well said, well said. 

/ago. She gives it out that you shall marry her; 
Do you intend it ? 

Cassio. Ha, ha, ha ! no 

Othello. Do you triumph, Roman ? do you triumph ? 

Cassio. I marry her ! what ? a customer ! Prithee, bear 
some charity to my wit; do not think it so unwholesome. 
Ha, ha, ha ! 

Othello. So, so, so, so ; they laugh that win. 

/ago. Faith, the cry goes that you shall marry her. 

Cassio. Prithee, say true. 

/ago. I am a very villain else. 

Othello. Have you scored me? Well. 119 

Cassio. This is the monkey's own giving out; she is per- 
suaded I will marry her, out of her own love and flattery, not 
out of my promise. 

Othello. I ago beckons me ; now he begins the story. 

Cassio. She was here even now ; she haunts me in every 
place. I was the other day talking on the sea-bank with 
certain Venetians; and thither comes the bauble, and, by this 
hand, she falls me thus about my neck — 

Othello. Crying ' O dear Cassio !' as it were ; his gesture 
imports it. 129 

■ Cassio, So hangs, and lolls, and weeps upon me;, so hales 
and pulls me : ha, ha, ha ! > 

Othello. Now he tells how she plucked him to my cham- 

H 



ii4 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



ber. — O, I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall 
throw it to. 

Cassio. Well, I must leave her company. 

/ago. Before me ! look, where she comes. 

Cassio. 'T is such another fitchew! marry, a perfumed one. 

Enter Bianca. 

What do you mean by this haunting of me ? 138 

Bianca. Let the devil and his dam haunt you ! What did 
you mean by that same handkerchief you gave me even now ? 
I was a fine fool to take it. I must take out the work ? — A 
likely piece of work, that you should find it in your chamber, 
and not know who left it there ! This is some minx's token, 
and I must take out the work ? There, give it your hobby- 
horse ; wheresoever you had it, I '11 take out no work on 't. 

Cassio. How now, my sweet Bianca ! how now ! how now! 

Othello. By heaven, that should be my handkerchief! 

Bianca. An you '11 come to supper to-night, you may; an 
you will not, come when you are next prepared for. [Exit. 

/ago. After her, after her. 150 

Cassio. Faith, I must ; she '11 rail in the street else. 

/ago. Will you sup there ? 

Cassio. Faith, I intend so. 

/ago. Well, I may chance to see you; for I would very 
fain speak with you. 

Cassio. Prithee, come ; will you ? 

/ago. Go to ; say no more. [Exit Cassio. 

Othello. [Advancing'] How shall I murther him, Iago ? 

/ago. Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice ? 

Othello. O Iago ! 160 

/ago. And did you see the handkerchief? 

Othello. Was that mine ? 

/ago. Yours, by this hand; and to see how he prizes the 
foolish woman your wife ! she gave it him, and he hath given 
it his whore. 



ACT IV. SCENE I. 



US 



Othello. I would have him nine years a-killing. — A fine 
woman ! a fair woman ! a sweet woman ! 

lago. Nay, you must forget that. 168 

Othello. Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to- 
night; for she shall not live: no, my heart is turned to 
stone; I strike it, and it hurts my hand. — O, the world hath 
not a sweeter creature ; she might lie by an emperor's side 
and command him tasks. 

Iago. Nay, that 's not your way. 

Othello. Hang her! I do but say what she is; so delicate 
with her needle ! an admirable musician ! O ! she will sing 
the savageness out of a bear ! of so high and plenteous wit 
and invention ! — 

Iago. She 's the worse for all this. 179 

Othello. O, a thousand thousand times; — and then, of so 
gentle a condition ! 

Iago. Ay, too gentle. 

Othello. Nay, that 's certain ; — but yet the pity of it, Iago ! 
O Iago, the pity of it, Iago ! 

Iago. If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent 
to offend; for, if it touch not you, it comes near nobody. 
_^ Othello. I will chop her into messes ! cuckold me ! 

Iago. O, ? t is foul in her. 

Othello. With mine officer ! 

Iago. That 's fouler. 190 

.Othello,_Get me some poison, Iago; this night: — I '11 not 
expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my 
mind again : — this night, Iago. 

Iago. Do it not with poison ; strangle her in her bed 5 even 
the bed she hath contaminated. 

Othello. Good, good ! the justice of it pleases ; very good ! 

Iago. And for Cassio, let me be his undertaker; you shall 
hear more by midnight. 

Othello. Excellent good ! — [A trumpet within, .] What trum- 
pet is that same. 200 



n6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

/ago. Something from Venice, sure. — 'T is Lodovico 
Come from the duke; and, see, your wife is with him. 

Enter Lodovico, Desdemona, and Attendants. 

Lodovico. Save you, worthy general ! 

Othello. With all my heart, sir. 

Lodovico. The duke and senators of Venice greet you. 

[Gives him a letter. 

Othello. I kiss the instrument of their pleasures. 

[ Opens the letter, and reads. 

Desdemona. And what 's the news, good cousin Lodovico? 

Lago. I am very glad to see you, signior; 
Welcome to Cyprus. 

Lodovico. I thank you. How does Lieutenant Cassio ? 

Lago. Lives, sir. 210 

Desdemona. Cousin, there 's fall'n between him and my 
lord 
An unkind breach; but you shall make all well. 

Othello. Are you sure of that ? 

Desdemona. My lord ? 

Othello. [Reads'] l This fail you not to do, as you will — ' 

Lodovico. He did not call; he 's busy in the paper. 
Is there division 'twixt my lord and Cassio ? 

Desdeniona. A most unhappy one; I would do much 
To atone them, for the love 1 bear to Cassio. 219 

Othello. Fire and brimstone ! 

Desdemona. My lord ? 

Othello. Are you wise ? 

Desdemona. What, is he angry ? 

Lodovico. May be the letter mov'd him ; 

For, as I think, they do command him home, 
Deputing Cassio in his government. 

Desdemona. Trust me, I am glad on 't. 

Othello. Indeed ! 

Desdemona. Mv lord ? 



ACT IV. SCENE I. 



117 



Othello. I am glad to see you mad. 

Desdemona. Why, sweet Othello, — ; 

Othello. [Striking her] Devil ! 

Desdemona. I have not deserv'd this. 

Lodovico. My lord, this would not be believ'd in Venice, 
Though I should swear I saw 't ; 't is very much : 
Make her amends ; she weeps. 

Othello. O devil, devil ! 230 

If that the earth could teem with woman's tears, 
Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. 
Out of my sight ! 

Desdemona. I will not stay to offend you. [Going. 

Lodovico. Truly, an obedient lady ; 
I do beseech your lordship, call her back. 

Othello. Mistress ! 

Desdemona. My lord ? 

Othello. What would you with her, sir ? 

Lodovico. Who, I, my lord ? 

Othello. Ay ; you did wish that I would make her turn. 
Sir, she can turn and turn, and yet go on, 
And turn again; and she can weep, sir, weep; 240 

And she 's obedient, as you say, obedient, 
Very obedient. — Proceed you in your tears. — 
Concerning this, sir, — O well-painted passion ! — 
I am commanded home. — Get you away; 
I '11 send for you anon. — Sir, I obey the mandate, 
And will return to Venice. — Hence, avaunt ! — 

[Exit Desdemona. 
Cassio shall have my place. And, sir, to-night, 
I do entreat that we may sup together; 

You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus. — Goats and monkeys ! 249 

[Exit. 

Lodovico. Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate 
Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature 
Whom passion could not shake ? whose solid virtue 



n8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

The shot of accident nor dart of chance 
Could neither graze nor pierce ? 

Iago. He is much chang'd. 

Lodovico. Are his wits safe ? is he not light of brain ? 

Iago. He 's that he is; I may not breathe my censure. 
What he might be — if what he might he is not — 
I would to heaven he were ! 

Lodovico. What, strike his wife ! 

Iago. Faith, that was not so well; yet would I knew 
That stroke would prove the worst ! 

Lodovico. Is it his use ? 260 

Or did the letters work upon his blood, 
And new-create this fault ? 

Iago. Alas, alas ! 

It is not honesty in me to speak 

What I have seen and known. You shall observe him, 
And his own courses will denote him so 
That I may save my speech; do but go after, 
And mark how he continues. 

Lodovico. I am sorry that I am deceiv'd in him. [Exeunt. 

Scene II. A Room in the Castle. 
.Enter Othello and Emilia. 

Othello. You have seen nothing then ? 
Emilia. Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect. 
Othello. Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together. 
Emilia. But then I saw no harm, and then I heard 
Each syllable that breath made up between them. 
Othello. What, did they never whisper? 
Emilia. Never, my lord. 

Othello. Nor send you out o' the way ? 
Emilia. Never. 

Othello. To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor noth- 
ing? 



ACT IV. SCENE IL 



II 9 



Emilia. Never, my lord. 10 

Othello. That 's strange. 

Emilia. I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, 
Lay down my soul at stake : if you think other, 
Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom. 
If any wretch have put this in your head, 
Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse ! 
For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true, 
There 's no man happy ; the purest of their wives 
Is foul as slander. 

Othello. Bid her come hither; go. [Exit Emilia. 

She says enough ; yet she ? s a simple bawd 20 

That cannot say as much. —This is a subtle whore, 
A closet lock and key of villanous secrets : 
And yet she '11 kneel and pray; I have seen her do 't. 

Enter Desdemona with Emilia. 

Desdemona. My lord, what is your will ? 

Othello. Pray, chuck, come hither. 

Desdemona. What is your pleasure ? 

Othello. Let me see your eyes ; 

Look in my face. 

Desdemona. What horrible fancy 's this ? 

Othello. [To Emilia] Some of your function, mistress; 
shut the door; 
Cough, or cry hem, if any body come. 
Your mystery, your mystery; nay, dispatch. [Exit Emilia. 

Desdemona. Upon my knees, what doth your speech im- 
port ? 30 
I understand a fury in your words, 
But not the words. 

Othello. Why, what art thou ? 

Desdemona. Your wife, my lord; your true 

And loyal wife. 

Othello. Come, swear it, damn thyself; 



I20 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves 
Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd; 
Swear thou art honest. 

Desdemona. Heaven doth truly know it. 

Othello. Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell. 

Desdemona. To whom, my lord ? with whom ? how am I 
v false ? 

Othello. O Desdemona! away! away! away! 4° 

Desdemona. Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep? 
Am I the motive of these tears > my lord? 
If haply you my father do suspect 
An instrument of this your calling back, 
Lay not your blame on me; if you have lost him, 
Why, I have lost him too. 

Othello. Had it pleas'd heaven 

To try me with affliction, had they rain'd 
All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head, 
Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips, 

Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes, 50 

I should have found in some place of my soul 
A drop of patience \ but, alas, to make me 
A fixed figure for the time of scorn 
To point his slow un moving finger at ! 
Yet could I bear that too; well, very well : 
But there, where I have garner'd up my heart, 
Where either I must live or bear no life, 
The fountain from the which my current runs 
Or else dries up, — to be discarded thence ! 
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads 60 

To knot and gender in ! — Turn thy complexion there, 
Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin. — 
Ay, there, look grim as hell ! 

Desdemona. I hope my noble lord esteems me honest. 

Othello. O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles, 
That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed, 



ACT IV. SCENE II. 12 1 

Who art so lovely fair and smelPst so sweet 
That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been 
born ! 

Desdemona. Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed ? 

Othello. Was this fair paper, this most goodly book, 70 
Made to write whore upon ? What committed ! 
Committed ! O thou public commoner ! 
I should make very forges of my cheeks, 
That would to cinders burn up modesty, 
Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed ! 
Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks ; 
The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets 
Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth, 
And will not hear it. What committed ! $ 

Impudent strumpet ! 

Desdemona. By heaven, you do me wrong. 80 

Othello, Are not you a strumpet ? 

Desdemona, No, as I am a Christian ; 

If to preserve this vessel for my lord 
From any other foul unlawful touch 
Be not to be a strumpet, I am none. 

Othello. What, not a whore ? 

Desdemona. No, as I shall be sav'd. 

Othello. Is 't possible ? 

Desdemona. O, heaven forgive us ! 

Othello. I cry you mercy, then ; 

I took you for that cunning whore of Venice 
That married with Othello. — You, mistress, 
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter, 90 

And keep the gate of hell ! 

Enter Emilia. 

You, you, ay, you ! 
We have done our course; there 's money for your pains. 
I pray you, turn the key and keep our counsel. [Exit. 



I22 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Emilia. Alas, what does this gentleman conceive ? 
How do you, madam ? how do you, my good lady ? 

Desdemona. Faith, half asleep. 

Emilia. Good madam, what 's the matter with my lord ? 

Desdemona. With who ? 

Emilia. Why, with my lord, madam. 99 

Desdemona. Who is thy lord ? 

Emilia. He that is yours, sweet lady. 

Desdeinona. I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia; 
I cannot weep, nor answer have I none, 
But what should go by water. Prithee, to-night 
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember; 
And call thy husband hither. 

E??iilia. Here 's a change indeed ! [Exit. 

Desdemona. 'T is meet I should be us'd so, very meet. 
How have I been behav'd, that he might stick 
The small'st opinion on my least misuse ? 

Re-enter Emilia with Iago. 

/ago. What is your pleasure, madam ? How is 't with you ? 

Desdemona. I cannot tell. Those that do teach young 
babes no 

Do it with gentle means and easy tasks: 
He might have chid me so; for, in good faith, 
I am a child to chiding. 

/ago. What 's the matter, lady ? 

"-* Emilia. Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhor'd her, 
Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her, 
As true hearts cannot bear. 

Desdemona. Am I that name, Iago ? 

/ago. What name, fair lady ? 

Desdemona. Such as she says my lord did say I was. 

Emilia. He call'd her whore ; a beggar in his drink 
Could not have laid such terms upon his callat. 120 

/ago. Why did he so ? 



ACT IK SCENE IE 



123 



Desdemona. I do not know ; I am sure I am none such. 

lago. Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day ! 

Emilia. Hath she forsook so many noble matches, 
Her father and her country and her friends, 
To be call'd whore ? would it not make one weep ? 

Desdemona. It is my wretched fortune. 

Iago. Beshrew him for 't ! 

How comes this trick upon him ? 

Desdemona. Nay, heaven doth know. 

Emilia. I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain, 
Some busy and insinuating rogue, 130 

Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, 
Have not devis'd this slander ; I '11 be hang'd else. 

lago. Fie, there is no such man ; it is impossible. 

Desdemona. If any such there be, heaven pardon him ! 

Emilia. A halter pardon him ! and hell gnaw his bones ! 
Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company ? 
What place? what time? what form? what likelihood? 
The Moor 's abus'd by some most villanous knave, 
Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow. 

heaven, that such companions thou 'dst unfold, 140 
And put in every honest hand a whip 

To lash the rascals naked through the world 
Even from the east to the west ! 

lago. Speak within door. 

Emilia. O, fie upon them ! Some such squire he was 
That turn'd your wit the seamy side without, 
And made you to suspect me with the Moor. 

lago. You are a fool ; go to. 

DesdemoJia. IQ good lago, 

What shall I do to win my lord again ?; 
Good friend, go to him ; for, by this light of heaven, 

1 know not how I lost him. Here I kneel : 150 
If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love, 

Either in discourse of thought or actual deed, 



x 24 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense, 

Delighted them in any other form, 

Or that I do not yet, and ever did, 

And ever will — though he do shake me off 

To beggarly divorcement — love him dearly, 

Comfort forswear me ! Unkindness may do much; 

And his unkindness may defeat my life, 

But never taint my love. I cannot say whore : 160 

It doth abhor me now I speak the word ; 

To do the act that might the addition earn 

Not the world's mass of vanity could make me. 

/ago. I pray you, be content • 't is but his humour : 
The business of the state does him offence, 
And he does chide with you. 

Desdemona. If 't were no other, — 

/ago. 'T is but so, I warrant. 

[Trumpets within. 
Hark, how these instruments summon to supper ! 
The messengers of Venice stay the meat : 
Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well. — i 7 o 

[Exeunt Desde??iona and Emilia. 

Enter Roderigo. 

How now, Roderigo ! 

Roderigo. I do not find that thou dealest justly with me. 

/ago. What in the contrary ? 

Roderigo. Every day thou daffest me with some device, 
Iago; and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me 
all conveniency than suppliest me with the least advantage 
of hope. I will indeed no longer endure it, nor am I yet 
persuaded to put up in peace what already I have foolishly 
suffered. 

/ago. Will you hear me, Roderigo ? 180 

Roderigo. Faith, I have heard too much, for your words 
and performances are no kin together. 



ACT IV. SCENE II. 1 25 

la go. You charge me most unjustly. 

Roderigo. With nought but truth. I have wasted myself 
out of my means. The jewels you have hadjrximjuie to 
deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a votarist \ 
you have told me she hath received them, and returned me 
expectations and comforts of sudden respect and acquaint- 
ance, but I find none. 

Iago. Well • go to ; very well. 190 

Roderigo. Very well! go to ! I cannot go to, man; nor 
5 t is not very well : nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin to 
find myself fobbed in it. 

Iago. Very well. 

Roderigo. I tell you ? t is not very well. I will make my- 
self known to Desdemona : if she will return me my jewels, 
I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation • 
if not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you. 

Iago. You have said now. 

Roderigo. Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intend- 
ment of doing. 201 

Iago. Why, now I see there 's mettle in thee, and even 
from this instant do build on thee a better opinion than 
ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo : thou hast taken 
against me a most just exception ; but yet, I protest, I have 
dealt most directly in thy affair. 

Roderigo. It hath not appeared. 
. Iago. I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your sus- 
picion is not without wit and judgment. But, Roderigo, if 
thou hast that in thee indeed, which I have greater reason to 
believe now than ever, I mean purpose, courage and valour, 
this night show it ; if thou the next night following enjoy 
not Desdemona, take me from this world with treachery and 
devise engines for my life. 214 

Roderigo. Well, what is it? is it within reason and compass? 

Iago. Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice 
to depute Cassio in Othello's place. 



I2 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Roderigo. Is that true ? why, then Othello and Desdemona 
return again to Venice. 219 

Lago. O, no : he goes into Mauritania and takes away 
with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be lingered 
here by some accident ; wherein none can be so determinate 
as the removing of Cassio. 

Roderigo. How do you mean, removing of him ? 

/ago. Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place ; 
knocking out his brains. 

Roderigo. And that you would have me to do ? 

Lago. Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right. He 
sups to-night with a harlotry, and thither will I go to him ; 
he knows not yet of his honourable fortune. If you will 
watch his going thence, which I will fashion to fall out be- 
tween twelve and one, you may take him at your pleasure ; I 
will be near to second your attempt, and he shall fall be- 
tween us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with 
me ; I will show you such a necessity in his death that you 
shall think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high 
supper-time, and the night grows to waste ; about it ! 

Roderigo. I will hear further reason for this. 238 

lago. And you shall be satisfied. \Exeunt. 

Scene III. Another Room in the Castle. 

Enter Othello, Lodovico, Desdemona, Emilia, and 

Attendants. 

Lodovico. I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no fur- 
ther. 

Othello. O, pardon me ; 't will do me good to walk. 

Lodovico. Madam, good night; I humbly thank your 
ladyship. 

Desdemona. Your honour is most welcome. 

Othello. Will you walk, sir ? 

O, — Desdemona, — 



ACT IV. SCENE III. 



127 



Desdemona. My lord ? 

Othello. Get you to bed on the instant; I will be returned 
forthwith : dismiss your attendant there ; look it be done. 

Desdemona. I will, my lord. 

[Exeunt Othello, Lodovico, and Attendants. 

Emilia. How goes it now ? he looks gentler than he did. 

Desdemona. He says he will return incontinent; u 

He hath commanded me to go to bed, 
And bade me to dismiss you. 

Emilia. Dismiss me ! 

Desdemona. It was his bidding ; therefore, good Emilia, 
Give me my nightly wearing, and adieu : 
We must not now displease him. 

Emilia. I would you had never seen him ! 

Desdemona. So would not I ; my love doth so approve 
him, 
That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns, — 
Prithee, unpin me, — have grace and favour in them. 20 

Emilia. I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed. 

Desdemona. All 's one. — Good faith, how foolish are our 
minds ! — ■ 
If I do die before thee, prithee, shroud, me 
In one of those same sheets. 

Emilia. Come, come, you talk. 

Desdemofia. My mother had a maid call'd Barbara; 
She was in love, and he she lov'd prov'd mad 
And did forsake her. She had a song of ' willow ;' 
An old thing 't was, but it express'd her fortune, 
And she died singing it. That song to-night 
Will not go from my mind ; I have much to do 30 

But to go hang my head all at one side, 
And sing it like poor Barbara. — Prithee, dispatch. 

Emilia. Shall I go fetch your night-gown ? 

Desdemona. No, unpin me here. 

This Lodovico is a proper man. 



I2 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 

Emilia. A very handsome man. 
Desdemo?ia. He speaks well. 

Emilia. I know a lady in Venice would have walked 
barefoot to Palestine for a touch of his nether lip. 

Desdemona. [Singing] The poor soul sat sighing by a syca- 
more tree. 
Sing all a green willow; 40 

Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, 

Sing willow, willow, willow : 
The fresh strea?ns ran by her, and murmur' d her moans ; 

Sing willow, willow, willow ; 
Her salt tears fell from her, and soften ' d the stones ; — 
Lay by these: — 

[Singing] Sing willow, willow, willow ; 
Prithee, hie thee; he '11 come anon : — 
[Singing] Sing all a green willow must be my garland. 

Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve, — 50 

Nay, that 's not next. — Hark! who is 't that knocks ? 
Emilia. It 's the wind. 

Desdemona. [Singing] I caW d my love false love ; but what 
said he theft ? 
Sing willow, willow, willow : 
If I court moe women, you 'II couch with moe men. — 
So, get thee gone ) good night. Mine eyes do itch 5 
Doth that bode weeping ? 

Emilia. 'T is neither here nor there. 

Desdemo7ia. I have heard it said so. — O, these men, these 
men ! — 
Dost thou in conscience think, — tell me, Emilia, — 
That there be women do abuse their husbands 60 

In such gross kind ? 

. Emilia. There be some such, no question. 

Desdemo7ia. Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the 

world ? 
Emilia. Why, would not you? 



ACT IV. SCENE III. j 2 9 

Desdemona. No, by this heavenly light ! 

Emilia. Nor I neither by this heavenly light; 
I might do 't as well i' the dark. 

Desdemona. Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the 
world ? 

Emilia. The world 's a huge thing; it is a great price 
For a small vice. 

Desdemona. In troth, 1 think thou wouldst not. 68 

Emilia. In troth, I think I should ; and undo 't when 1 
had done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a joint- 
ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for gowns, petticoats, nor 
caps, nor any petty exhibition ; but, for the whole world, — 
why, who would not make her husband a cuckold to make 
him a monarch ? I should venture purgatory for 't. 

Desdemona. Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong 
For the whole world. 

Emilia. Why, the wrong is but a wrong i' the world ; and 
having the world for your labour, 't is a wrongs in your own 
world, and you might quickly make it right. 

Desdemona. I do not think there is any such woman. 80 

Emilia. Yes, a dozen ; and as many to the vantage as 
would store the world they played for. 
But I do think it is their husbands' faults 
If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties, 
And pour out treasures into foreign laps, 
Or else break out in peevish jealousies, 
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us, 
Or scant our former having in despite; 
Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace, 
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know gt 

Their wives have sense like them ; they see and smell 
And have their palates both for sweet and sour, 
As husbands have. What is it that they do 
When they change us for others ? Is it sport ? 
I think it is; and doth affection breed it? 

I 



13° 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 



I think it doth; is ? t frailty that thus errs? 
It is so too; and have not we affections, 
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have ? 
Then let them use us well ; else let them know, 
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so. ioo 

Desdemona. Good night, good night; heaven me such uses 
send. 
Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend i \_Exeunt. 




COLONNADE OF DUCAL PALACE, VENICE. 




VENETIAN GENERAL. 



ACT V. 

Scene I. Cyprus. A Street. 
' Enter I ago and Roderigo. 

lago. Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come: 
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home. 
Quick, quick; fear nothing; I '11 be at thy elbow. 
It makes us, or it mars us; think on that, 
And fix most firm thy resolution. 

Roderigo. Be near at hand ; I may miscarry in 't. . 

lago. Here, at thy hand ; be bold, and take thy stand. 

[Retires. 



132 



OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENLCE. 



Roderigo. I have no great devotion to the deed; 
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons: 
'T is but a man gone. Forth, my sword; he dies. 10 

/ago. I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense, 
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio, 
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, 
Every way makes my game. Live Roderigo, 
He calls me to a restitution large 
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him, 
As gifts to Desdemona ; 
It must not be. If Cassio do remain, 
He hath a daily beauty in his life 

That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor 20 

May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril: 
No, he must die. — But so; I hear him coming. 

Enter Cassio. 

Roderigo. I know his gait, 't is he. — Villain, thou diest ! 

[Makes a pass at Cassio. 
Cassio. That thrust had been mine enemy indeed, 
But that my coat is better than thou know'st; 
I will make proof of thine. [Draws and wounds Roderigo. 
Roderigo. O, I am slain ! 

[/ago from behind wounds Cassio in the /eg, and exit. 
Cassio. I am maim'd for ever. Help, ho ! murther ! mur- 
ther ! [Falls. 

Enter Othello. 

Othello. The voice of Cassio; Iago keeps his word. 

Roderigo. O, villain that I am ! 

Othello. It is even so. 

Cassio. O, help, ho ! light ! a surgeon ! 30 

Othello. 'T is he. — O brave Iago, honest and just, 
That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong ! 
Thou teachest me. — Minion, your dear lies dead, 
And your unblest fate hies; strumpet, I come ! 



ACT V. SCENE I. 133 

Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted; 
Thy bed lust-stain'd shall with lust's blood be spotted. 

[Exit. 
Enter Lodovico and Gratiano. 

Cassio. What, ho ! no watch? no passage? murther ! mur- 
ther! 

Gratiano. 'T is some mischance; the cry is very direful. 

Cassio. O, help ! 

Lodovico. Hark! 40 

Roderigo. O wretched villain ! 

Lodovico. Two or three groan; it is a heavy night; 
These may be counterfeits ; let 's think 't unsafe 
To come in to the cry without more help. 

Roderigo. Nobody come? then shall I bleed to death. 
y Lodovico. Hark ! 

Re-enter Iago, with a light. 

Gratiano. Here ? s one comes in his shirt, with light and 

weapons. 
Lago. Who 's there ? whose noise is this that cries on mur- 
ther ? 
•* Lodovico. We do not know. 

Lago. Did not you hear a cry? 49 

Cassio. Here, here ! for heaven's sake, help me ! 
Lago. What 's the matter? 

Gratiano. This is Othello's ancient, as I take it. 
Lodovico. The same indeed ; a very valiant fellow. 
Lago. What are you here that cry so grievously ? 
Cassio. Iago ? O, I am spoil'd, undone by villains ! 
Give me some help. 

Lago. O me, lieutenant ! what villains have done this? 
Cassio. I think that one of them is hereabout, 
And cannot make away. 

Lago. O treacherous villains ! — 

What are you there ? come in, and give some help. 

[ To Lodovico and Gratiano. 



I34 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Roderigo. O, help me here ! 60 

Cassio. That 's one of them. 

/ago. O murtherous slave! O villain ! 

[Stabs Roderigo. 

Roderigo. O damn'd Iago ! O inhuman dog ! 

/ago. Kill men i' the dark! — Where be these bloody 
thieves ? — 
How silent is this town ! — Ho ! murther ! murther !— 
What may you be ? are you of good or evil ? 
— ■ /odovico. As you shall prove us, praise us. 

/ago. Signior Lodovico ? 

/odovico. He, sir. 

/ago. I cry you mercy. Here 's Cassio hurt by villains. 

Gratiano. Cassio ! 70 

/ago. How is 't, brother ? 

Cassio. My leg is cut in two. 

/ago. Marry, heaven forbid ! 

Light, gentlemen; I '11 bind it with my shirt. 

Enter Bianca. 

Bianca. What is the matter, ho? who is 't that cried? 

/ago. Who is 't that cried ! 

Bianca. O my dear Cassio ! my sweet Cassio ! O Cassio, 
Cassio, Cassio ! 

/ago. O notable strumpet ! — Cassio, may you suspect 
Who they should be that have thus mangled you ? 

Cassio. No. 80 

Gratiano. I am sorry to find you thus; I have been to seek 
you. 

/ago. Lend me a garter. — So. — O, for a chair, 
To bear him easily hence ! 

Bianca. Alas, he faints ! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio ! 

/ago. Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash 
To be a party in this injury. — 
Patience awhile, good Cassio. — Come, come ; 



ACT V. SCENE I. 



135 



Lend me a light. — Know we this face or no? 

Alas, my friend and my dear countryman 

Roderigo ! no:-— yes, sure; O heaven ! Roderigo. 9c 

Gratiano. What, of Venice ? 

/ago. Even he, sir; did you know him? 

Gratiano. Know him ! ay. 

lago. Signior Gratiano ? I cry you gentle pardon; 
These bloody accidents must excuse my manners, 
That so neglected you. 

Gratiano. I am glad to see you. 

Iago. How do you, Cassio ? — O, a chair, a chair ! 

Gratia?io. Roderigo ! 

Iago. He, he, 't is he. — [A chair brought in.] O, that 's well 
said ; the chair. 
Some good man bear him carefully from hence; 
I '11 fetch the general's surgeon.-— [To Bianca~\ For you, mis- 
tress, 100 
Save you your labour. — He that lies slain here, Cassio, 
Was my dear friend; what malice was between you? 

Cassio. None in the world ; nor do I know the man. 

Iago. [To Bianca~\ What, look you pale ? — O, bear him out 
o' the air. — [Cassio and RodeiHgo ai'e borne off. 

Stay you, good gentlemen. — Look you pale, mistress? — 
Do you perceive the gastness of her eye ? — 
Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon. — 
Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her : 
Do you see, gentlemen ? nay, guiltiness will speak, 
Though tongues were out of use. no 

Enter Emilia. 
Emilia. Alas, what 's the matter? what 's the matter, hus- 
band? 
Iago. Cassio hath here been set on in the dark 
By Roderigo and fellows that are scap'd; 
He 's almost slain, and Roderigo dead. 



I3 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Emilia. Alas, good gentleman ! alas, good Cassio ! 

/ago. This is the fruit of whoring. — Prithee, Emilia, 
Go know of Cassio where he supp'd to-night — 
What, do you shake at that ? 

Bianca. He supp'd at my house; but I therefore shake 
not. 

Iago. O, did he so ? I charge you, go with me. 120 

Emilia. Fie, fie upon thee, strumpet ! 
-*. Bianca. I am no strumpet; but of life as honest 
As you that thus abuse me. 

Emilia. As I ! foh ! fie upon thee ! 

Iago. Kind gentlemen, let 's go see poor Cassio dress'd. — 
Come, mistress, you must tell 's another tale. — 
Emilia, run you to the citadel, 
And tell my lord and lady what hath happ'd. — 
Will you go on, I pray ? — [Aside] This is the night 
That either makes me or fordoes me quite. [Exeunt. 

Scene II. A Bedchamber in the Castle; Desdemona in 

bed asleep ; a light burnifig. 

Enter Othello. 

Othello. It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul, — 
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars ! — 
It is the cause. Yet I '11 not shed her blood, 
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, 
And smooth as monumental alabaster. 
Yet she must die, else she '11 betray more men. 
Put out the light, and then — put out the light ! 
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, 
I can again thy former light restore, 

Should I repent me; but once put out thy light, 10 

Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, 
I know not where is that Promethean heat 
That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd the rose, 



ACT V. SCENE II. 



m 



I cannot give it vital growth again, 

It must needs wither; I '11 smell it on the tree. \Kis sing her. 

Ah, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade 

Justice to break her sword ? One more, one more. 

Be thus when thou, art dead, and I will kill thee, 

And love thee after. One more, and this the last; 

So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep, 20 

But they are cruel tears : this sorrow 's heavenly; 

It strikes where it doth love. She wakes. 

Desdemona. Who 's there ? Othello ? 

Othello. Ay, Desdemona. 

Desdemona. Will you come to bed, my lord ? 

Othello. Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemona? 

Desdemo?ia. Ay, my lord. 

Othello. If you bethink yourself of any crime 
UnreconciPd as yet to heaven and grace, 
Solicit for it straight. 

Desdemona. Alas, my lord, what do you mean by that ? 

Othello. Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by: 30 

I would not kill thy unprepared spirit; 
No; heaven forfend ! I would not kill thy soul. 

Desdemona. Talk you of killing ? 

Othello. Ay, I do. 

Desdemona. Then heaven 

Have mercy on me ! 

Othello. Amen, with all my heart ! 

Desdemo?ta. If you say so, I hope you will not kill me. 

Othello. Hum! 

Desdemona. And yet I fear you ; for you are fatal then 
When your eyes roll so : why I should fear I know not, 
Since guiltiness I know not, but yet I feel I fear. 

Othello. Think on thy sins. 

Desdemona. They are loves I bear to you. 

Othello. Ay, and for that thou diest. 41 

Desdemona. That death 's unnatural that kills for loving. 



I3 8 OTHELLO, TILE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip ? 
Some bloody passion shakes your very frame: 
These are portents; but yet I hope, I hope, 
They do not point on me. 

Othello. Peace, and be still ! 

Desdemona. I will so. What \s the matter? 

Othello. That handkerchief which I so lov'd and gave thee 
Thou gav'st to Cassio. 

Desdemona. No, by my life and soul ! 

Send for the man, and ask him. 

Othello. Sweet soul, take heed, 5c 

Take heed of perjury; thou art on thy death-bed. 

Desdemona. Ay, but not yet to die. 

Othello. Yes, presently : 

Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin; 
For to deny each article with oath 
Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception 
That I do groan withal. Thou art to die. 

Desdemona. Then Lord have mercy on me ! 

Othello. I say, amen. 

Desdemo?ia. And have you mercy too ! I never did 
Offend you in my life ; never lov'd Cassio 
But with such general warranty of heaven 60 

As I might love ; I never gave him token. 

Othello. By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in 's hand. 

perjur'd woman ! thou dost stone my heart, 
And mak'st me call what I intend to do 

A murther, which I thought a sacrifice. 

1 saw the handkerchief. 

Desdemona. He found it then; 

I never gave it him: send for him hither; 
Let him confess a truth. 

Othello. He hath confess'd. 

Desdemona. What, my lord ? 

Othello. That he hath us'd thee. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 139 

Desdemona. How ? unlawfully ? 

Othello. Ay. 70 

Desdemona. He will not say so. 

Othello. No, his mouth is stopp'd \ 

Honest Iago hath ta'en order for 't. 

Desdemona. O! my fear interprets; what, is he dead? 

Othello. Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge 
Had stomach for them all. 

Desdemona. Alas ! he is betray'd, and I undone. j*C 

Othello. Out, strumpet ! weep'st thou for him to my 
face ? 

Desdemo?ta. O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not ! 

Othello. Down, strumpet ! 

Desdemona. Kill me to-morrow ; let me live to-night ! 80 

Othello. Nay, if you strive, — 

Desdemona. But half an hour ! 

Othello. Being done, there is no pause. 

Desdemona. But while I say one prayer ! 

Othello. It is too late. 

[He stifles her. 

Emilia. [ Within] My lord, my lord ! what, ho ! my lord, 
my lord ! 

Othello. What noise is this ? — Not dead ? not yet quite 
dead ? 
I that am cruel am yet merciful ; 
I would not have thee linger in thy pain. — 
So, so. 

Emilia. [ Within] What, ho ! my lord, my lord ! 

Othello. Who 's there ? 

Emilia. [ Within] O, good my lord, I would speak a word 
with you ! 90 

Othello. Yes ; — 't is Emilia. — By and by. — She 's dead. — 
'T is like she comes to speak of Cassio's death. — 
The noise was here. — Ha ! no more moving ? 
Still as the grave. — Shall she come in ? were 't good ? — 



I4 o OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

I think she stirs again ; — no. What 9 s best to do ? 

If she come in, she '11 sure speak to my wife. — 

My wife ! my wife ! what wife ? I have no wife. 

O, insupportable ! O heavy hour ! 

Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse 

Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe 100 

Should yawn at alteration. 

Emilia. [ Within] I do beseech you 

That I may speak with you, O, good my lord ! 

Othello. I had forgot thee. O, come in, Emilia. — 
Soft ; by and by. — Let me the curtains draw. — 
Where art thou ? [ U?ilocks the door. 

Enter Emilia. 

What 's the matter with thee now ? 

Emilia. O, my good lord, yonder 's foul murther done ! 

Othello. What, now ? 

Emilia. But now, my lord. 

Othello. It is the very error of the moon ; 
She comes more nearer earth than she was wont, no 

And makes men mad. 

Emilia. Cassio, my lord, hath kill'd a young Venetian 
Call'd Roderigo. 

Othello. Roderigo kill'd ! 

And Cassio kill'd ! 

Emilia. No, Cassio is not kill'd. 

Othello. Not Cassio kill'd ! then murther 's out of tune, 
And sweet revenge grows harsh. 

Desdemo?ia. O, falsely, falsely murther'd ! 

Emilia. Alas, what cry is that ? 

Othello. That! what? 

E?nilia. Out, and alas ! that was my lady's voice. — 
Help ! help, ho ! help ! — O lady, speak again ! 120 

Sweet Desdemona ! O sweet mistress, speak ! 

Desdemona. A guiltless death I die. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 



141 



Emilia. O, who hath done this deed ? 

Desdemona. Nobody ; I myself. Farewell ! 
Commend me to my kind lord; O, farewell ! [Dies. 

Othello. Why, how should she be murther'd ? 

Emilia. . Alas, who knows ? 

Othello. You heard her say herself, it was not I. 

Emilia. She said so; I must needs report the truth. 

Othello. She 's like a liar gone to burning hell ; 
'T was I that kill'd her. 

Emilia. O, the more angel she, 130 

And you the blacker devil ! 

Othello. She turn'd to folly, and she was a whore. 

Emilia. Thou dost belie her, and thou art a devil. 

Othello. She was false as water. 

Emilia. Thou art rash as fire, to say 

That she was false ; O, she was heavenly true ! 

Othello. O, I were damn'd beneath all depth in hell, 
But that I did proceed upon just grounds 
To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all. 

Emilia. My husband ! 

Othello. Thy husband. 140 

Emilia. That she was false to wedlock ? 

Othello. Ay, with Cassio. Nay, had she been true, 
If heaven would make me such another world 
Of one entire and perfect chrysolite, 
I M not have sold her for it. 

Emilia. My husband ! 

Othello. Ay, 't was he that told me first ; 

An honest man he is, and hates the slime 
That sticks on filthy deeds. 

Emilia. My husband ! 

Othello. What needs this iterance, woman ? I say thy 
husband. 

Emilia. O mistress, villany hath made mocks with love ! — 
My husband say that she was false ! 



I42 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

Othello. He, woman ; 15 1 

I say thy husband : dost understand the word ? 
My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago. 

Emilia. If he say so, may his pernicious soul 
Rot half a grain a day ! he lies to the heart ; 
She was too fond of her most filthy bargain. 

Othello. Ha! 

E7nilia. Do thy worst ; 
This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven 
Than thou wast worthy her. 

Othello. Peace, you were best ! 160 

Emilia. -Thou hast not half that power to do me harm 
As I have to be hurt. O gull ! O dolt ! 
As ignorant as dirt ! thou hast done a deed — 
I care not for thy sword; I '11 make thee known, 
Though I lost twenty lives. — Help ! help, ho ! help ! 
The Moor hath kill'd my mistress ! Murther ! murther ! 

Ente?' Moxtaxo, Gratiano, Iago, and others. 

Moutano. What is the matter ? — How now, general ! 

Emilia. O, are you come, Iago ? you have done well, 
That men must lay their murthers on your neck. 

Gratiano. What is the matter ? 170 

Emilia. Disprove this villain, if thou be'st a man; 
He says thou told'st him that his wife was false. 
I know thou didst not, thou 'rt not. such a villain ; 
Speak, for my heart is full. 

Iago. I told him what I thought, and told no more 
Than what he found himself was apt and true. 

Emilia. But did you ever tell him she was false ? 

Iago. I did. 

Emilia. You told a lie, an odious, damned lie ; 
Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie ! 180 

She false with Cassio ! — did you say with Cassio? 

Iago. With Cassio, mistress. Go to,, charm your tongue. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 143 

Emilia. I will not charm my tongue \ I am bound to 
speak : 
My mistress here lies murther'd in her bed, — 

All. O heavens forfend ! 

Emilia. And your reports have set the murther on. 

Othello. Nay, stare not, masters ; it is true, indeed. 

Gratia?io. 'T is a strange truth. 

Montano. O monstrous act ! 

Emilia. Villany, villany, villany ! 

I think upon 't, I think; — I smell 't \—0 villany !— 190 

I thought so then ! — I '11 kill myself for grief. — 

villany, villany ! 

lago. What, are you mad ? I charge you, get you home. 

Emilia. Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak ; 
'T is proper I obey him, but not now. 
Perchance, lago, I will ne'er go home. 

Othello. O ! O ! O ! [He falls on the bed. 

Emilia. Nay, lay thee down and roar ; 

For thou hast kilPd the sweetest innocent 
That e'er did lift up eye. 

Othello. \Rising\ O, she was foul ! — 

1 scarce did know you, uncle ; there lies your niece, 200 
Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopp'd. 

I know this act shows horrible and grim. 

Gratiano. Poor Desdemona ! I am glad thy father 's dead. 
Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief 
Shore his old thread in twain ; did he live now, 
This sight would make him do a desperate turn, 
Yea, curse his better angel from his side, 
And fall to reprobance. 

Othello. 'T is pitiful ; but yet lago knows 
That she with Cassio hath the act of shame 210 

A thousand times committed; Cassio confess'd it: 
And she did gratify his amorous works 
With that recognizance and pledge of love 



I44 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. 

Which I first gave her. I saw it in his hand; 
It was a handkerchief, an antique token 
My father gave my mother. 

Emilia. O heaven ! O heavenly powers ! 

/ago. Come, hold your peace. 

Emilia. T will out, 't will out ! — I peace ! 

No, I will speak as liberal as the north ; 
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, 220 

All, all, cry shame against me, yet I '11 speak. 

/ago. Be wise, and get you home. 

Emilia. I will not. 

[/ago offers to stab Emilia. 

Gratiano. Fie ! 

Your sword upon a woman ? 

Emilia. O thou dull Moor ! that handkerchief thou 
speak'st of 
I found by fortune and did give my husband; 
For often, with a solemn earnestness, 
More than indeed belong'd to such a trifle, 
He begg'd of me to steal it. 

Iago. Villanous whore ! 

Emilia. She give it Cassio ! no, alas ! I found it, 
And I did give 't my husband. 

Iago. Filth, thou liest ! 230 

Emilia. By heaven, I do not, I do not, gentlemen. 
O murtherous coxcomb ! what should such a fool 
Do with so good a wife ? 

Othello. Are there no stones in heaven 

But what serve for the thunder? — Precious villain ! 

\He runs at Iago ; Iago, from behind, stabs Emilia, 

and exit. 

Gratiano. The woman falls; sure, he hath kill'd his wife. 

Emilia. Ay, ay. O, lay me by my mistress' side. 

Gratiano. He 's gone, but his wife 's kill'd. 

Montano. 'T is a notorious villain. Take you this weapon, 



ACT V. SCENE II. 



145 



Which I have here recover'd from the Moor. 

Come, guard the door without; let him not pass, 240 

But kill him rather. I '11 after that same villain, 

For 't is a damned slave. [Exeunt Montano and Gratiano. 

Othello. I am not valiant neither. 

But every puny whipster gets my sword. 
But why should honour outlive honesty ? 
Let it go all. 

Emilia. What did thy song bode, lady ? 

Hark, canst thou hear me ? I will play the swan, 
And die in music. [Singing] Willow, willow, willow. — 
Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor; 
So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true; 
So speaking — as I think — I die— I die. [Dies. 

Othello. I have another weapon in this chamber; 251 

It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper. — 
O, here it is. — Uncle, I must come forth. 

Gratiano. [Within] If thou attempt it, it will cost thee 
dear; 
Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer. 

Othello. Look in upon me then, and speak with me, 
Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee. 

. Re-enter Gratiano. 

Gratiano. What is the matter ? 

Othello. Behold, I have a weapon; 

A better never did itself sustain 

Upon a soldier's thigh: I have seen the day, 260 

That with this little arm and this good sword 
I have made my way through more impediments 
Than twenty times your stop. — But, O vain boast ! , 
Who can control his fate ? 't is not so now. — 
Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd; 
Here is my journey's end, here is my butt, 
And very sea-mark of my utmost sail. 

K 






I4 6 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

Do you go back dismay'd ? 't is a lost fear; 

Man but a rush against Othello's breast, 

And he retires. — Where should Othello go ? 270 

Now, how dost thou look now ? O ill-starr'd wench ! 

Pale as thy smock ! when we shall meet at compt, 

This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, 

And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl ! 

Even like thy chastity. — 

O, cursed, cursed slave ! — 

Whip me, ye devils, 

From the possession of this heavenly sight ! 

Blow me about in winds ! roast me in sulphur ! 

Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire ! 280 

O Desdemona ! Desdemona ! dead ! 

Oh! Oh! Oh! 

Enter Lodovico, Montano, Cassio carried in a chair, and 
Officers with I ago, prisoner. 

Lodovico. Where is this rash and most unfortunate man? 

Othello. That 's he that was Othello; here I am. 

Lodovico. Where is that viper? bring the villain forth. 

Othello. I look down towards his feet; but that 's a fable. 
If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee. [ Wounds /ago. 

Lodovico. Wrench his sword from him. 

/ago. I bleed, sir, but not kilPd. 

Othello. I am not sorry neither: I 'd have thee live; 
For, in my sense, 't is happiness to die. 290 

Lodovico. O thou Othello, that wert once so good, 
Fall'n in the practice of a damned slave, 
What shall be said to thee ? 

Othello. Why, any thing : 

An honourable murtherer, if you will; 
For naught I did in hate, but all in honour. 

Lodovico. This wretch hath part confess'd his villany. 
Did you and he consent in Cassio's death ? 



ACT V. SCENE II. 



147 



Othello. Ay. 

Cassio. Dear general, I never gave you cause. 

Othello. I do believe it, and I ask you pardon. 300 

Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil 
Why he hath thus ensnar'd my soul and body? 

Iago. Demand me nothing : what you know, you know; 
From this time forth I never will speak word. 

Lodovico. What, not to pray ? 

Gratiano. Torments will ope your lips. 

Othello. Well, thou dost best. 

Lodovico. Sir, you shall understand what hath befalPn, 
Which, as I think, you know not. Here is a letter 
Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo, 
And here another; the one of them imports 310 

The death of Cassio to be undertook 
By Roderigo. 

Othello. O villain ! 

Cassio. Most heathenish and most gross ! 

Lodovico. Now here 's another discontented paper, 
Found in his pocket too; and this, it seems, 
Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain, 
But that, belike, Iago in the interim 
Came in and satisfied him. 

Othello. O the pernicious caitiff! — 

How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief 
That was my wife's ? 

Cassio. I found it in my chamber; 320 

And he himself confess'd but even now 
That there he dropt it for a special purpose 
Which wrought to his desire. 

Othello. O fool ! fool ! fool ! 

Cassio. There is besides in Roderigo's letter, 
How he upbraids Iago that he made him 
Brave me upon the watch; whereon it came 
That I was cast : and even but now he spake, 



I4 8 OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, 

After long seeming dead, Iago hurt him, 
Iago set him on. 

Lodovico. You must forsake this room, and go with us; 
Your power and your command is taken off, 331 

And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave, 
If there be any cunning cruelty 
That can torment him much and hold him long, 
It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest, 
Till that the nature of your fault be known 
To the Venetian state. — Come, bring him away. 

Othello. Soft you; a word or two before you go. 
I have done the state some service, and they know 't. 
No more of that. — I pray you, in your letters, 340 

7 When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, 
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, 
Nor set down aught in malice; then must you speak 
Ofvone that loved not wisely but too well; 
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought 
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand, 
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away 
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes, 
Albeit unused to the melting mood, 

Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees 350 

Their medicinable gum. Set you down this ; 
And say besides, that in Aleppo once, 
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk 
Beat a Venetian and traduc'd the state, 
I took by the throat the circumcised dog. 
And smote him — thus. [Stabs himself. 

Lodovico. O bloody period ! 

Gratiano. All that 's spoke is marr'd. 

Othello. I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee ; — no way but this, 
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. [Falls on the bed, and dies. 

Cassio. This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon ; 
For he was great of heart. 361 



ACT V. SCENE II l 49 

Lodovico. [To lago] O Spartan dog, 

More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea ! 
Look on the tragic loading of this bed; 
This is thy work : the object poisons sight; 
Let it be hid. — Gratiano, keep the house, 
i\nd seize upon the fortunes of the Moor, 
For they succeed on you.— To you, lord governor, 
Remains the censure of this hellish villain, 
The time, the place, the torture; O, enforce it ! 37 o 

Myself will straight aboard, and to the state 
This heavy act with heavy heart relate. \Exeunt. 





VIEW OF CERINIj CYPRUS. 



NOTES. 



ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES. 

Abbott (or Gr.), Abbott's Shakespearian Grammar (third edition). 
A. S., Anglo-Saxon. 

A. V., Authorized Version of the Bible (1611). 

B. and F., Beaumont and Fletcher. 
B. J., Ben Jonson. 

Camb. ed., " Cambridge edition" of Shakespeare, edited by Clark and Wright. 

Cf. (confer), compare. 

Clarke, " CasselFs Illustrated Shakespeare," edited by Charles and Mary Cowden 
Clarke (London, n. d.). 

Coll., Collier (second edition). 

Coll. MS., Manuscript Corrections of Second Folio, edited by Collier. 

D., Dyce (second edition). 

H., Hudson (first edition). 

Id. (idem), the same. 

K., Knight (second edition). 

Nares, Glossary, edited by Halliwell and Wright (London, 1859). 

Prol., Prologue. 

S., Shakespeare. 

Schmidr, A. Schmidt's Shakespeare- Lexicon (Berlin, 1874). 

Sr., Singer. 

St., Staunton. 

Theo., Theobald. 

W., White. 

Walker, Wm. Sidney Walker's Critical Examination of the Text of Shakespeare 
(London, i860). 

Warb., Warburton. 

Wb., Webster's Dictionary (revised quarto edition of 1864). 

Wore, Worcester's Dictionary (quarto edition). 

The abbreviations of the names of Shakespeare's Plays will be readily understood ; as 
T. N. for Twelfth Night, Cor. for Coriolamis, 3 Hen. VI. for The Third Part of King 
Henry the Sixth, etc. P. P. refers to The Passionate Pilgri?n ; V. and A . to Vemts 
and Adonis ; L. C. to Lover's Complaint ; and Sonn. to the Sonnets. 

When the abbreviation of the name ot a play is followed by a reference to Page, 
Rolfe's edition of the play is meant. 

The numbers of the lines (except for Othello) are those of the " Globe " ed. or of 
Crowell's reprint of that ed. 



NOTES. 




GENERAL OF VENICE, IN TIME OF WAR. 



ACT I. 

Dramatis Persons.— Nothing of the kind is given in the quarto; 
but at the end of the play in the 1st folio we find the following :* 

*The only other plays in the folio to which similar lists are appended are Temp., 
T. G. of V. y M./or M, IV. T., 2 Hen. IV.. and T. of A. 



154 



NOTES. 



The Names of the Actors. 



Othello, the Moore. 

Brabantio, Father to Desdemona. 

Cassio, an Honourable Lieutenant. 

Iago, a Villaine. 

Rodorigo, a gulVd Gentleman. 

Duke of Venice. 

Senators. 



Montano, Gouernour of Cyprus. 

Gentlemen of Cyprus. 

Lodouico, and Gratiano, two noble 

Venetians. 
Saylors. 
Clowne. 

Desdemona, Wife to Othello. 
^Emilia, Wife to Iago. 
Bianca, a Curtezan. 



Scene I. — " The republic of Venice became the virtual sovereigns of 
Cyprus in 147 1 ; when the state assumed the guardianship of the son 
of Catharine Cornaro, who had married the illegitimate son of John III. 
of Lusignan, and, being left a widow, wanted the protection of the state 
to maintain the power which her husband had usurped. The island was 
then first garrisoned by Venetian troops. Catharine in 1489 abdicated 
the sovereignty in favour of the republic. Cyprus was retained by the 
Venetians till 1570, when it was invaded by a powerful Turkish force, 
and was finally subjected to the dominion of Selim II. in 1571. From 
that period it has formed a part of the Turkish empire. Leikosia, the 
inland capital of the island, was taken by storm ; and Famagusta, the 
principal seaport, capitulated after a long and gallant defence. It is 
evident therefore that we must refer the action of Othello to a period be- 
fore the subjugation of Cyprus by the Turks. The locality of the scenes 
after act i. must be placed at Famagusta, which was strongly fortified — a 
fact which Shakespeare must have known when (iii. 2. 3) he wrote ' I 
will be walking on the works' 1 " (K.). 

The cut on p. 153 is from Vecellio's Habiti Antichi, 1590, and repre- 
sents the identical dress worn by Prince Veniero, when he was made gen- 
eral at the time of the Turkish war, in 1570. " The general of the Vene- 
tian forces, to whatever nation he might trace his birth (and it was always 
a foreigner who was selected for that office, ' lest,' as Paulus Jovius says, 
' any one of their own countrymen might be puffed up with pride, and 
grow too ambitious'), assumed, on the day of his election, a peculiar 
habit, consisting of a full gown of crimson velvet with loose sleeves, over 
which was worn a mantle of cloth of gold, buttoned upon the right shoul- 
der with massy gold buttons. The cap was of crimson velvet, and the 
baton of office was of silver, ensigned with the winged lion of St. Mark " 
(K.). Another portrait of Prince Veniero (see p. 131 above) in the Habitid^ 
Huomini e Donne Ve7ietiane, 1609, represents him in armour, but still wear- 
ing the mantle and bearing the baton already described. Othello speaks 
of his "helm" (i. 3. 271), and of course in action he wore the armour 
of the period, which was much the same throughout Christian Europe. 

I. Tush. Omitted in the folios.* 

* We may as well say here that we do not propose to give all the little differences be- 
tween the quartos and the folios ; nor shall we in all cases state our reasons for choosing 
the reading of the one or the other. For a full list of the varice lectiones the curious 
reader must go to the Camb. ed. 



ACT I. SCENE I. 



!55 



Coleridge remarks here : " Admirable is the preparation, so truly and 
peculiarly Shaksperian, in the introduction of Roderigo, as the dupe on 
whom Iago shall first exercise his art, and in so doing display his own 
character. Roderigo, without any fixed principle, but not without the 
moral notions and sympathies with honour which his rank and connec- 
tions had hung upon him, is already well fitted and predisposed for the 
purpose ; for very want of character and strength of passion, like wind 
loudest in an empty house, constitute his character. The first three lines 
happily state the nature and foundation of the friendship between him 
and Iago — the purse — as also the contrast of Roderigo's intemperance 
of mind with Iago's coolness — the coolness of a preconceiving experi- 
menter." 

3. This. That is, the elopement and marriage of Desdemona. 

4. ^Sblood. A contraction of God^s blood. See Ha??i. pp. 208, 230. The 
folio suppresses the oath here. See p. 1 1 above. 

10. Off-capp'd. The folio reading (" Off-capt ") ; the quartos have 
"Oft capt," which some modern editors prefer, making cap = sa\ute by 
taking off the cap. The only instance of the verb in S. is in Hen. V. in. 
7. 124 : " I will cap that proverb," etc. Cf. A. and C. ii. 7. 63 : " I have 
ever held my cap off to thy fortunes." 

13. Circumstance. Circumlocution. See Ham. p. 197. 

16. Certes. Certainly. See Temp. p. 133. Some editors begin the quo- 
tation wither. The printing of the early eds. leaves the point doubtful. 

19. Arithmetician. Steevens quotes R. and J. iii. 1. 106 : "that fights 
by the book of arithmetic." 

21. Wife. Probably = woman, as in M. of V. iii. 2. 58, Hen. V. iii. 3. 
40, etc. The reference seems to be to his passion for Bianca. Some 
take the line to mean " A fellow whose ignorance of war would be con- 
demned in a pretty woman," which is favoured by the allusion to a spin- 
ster which follows. Theo. would read " the Florentine 's A fellow almost 
damn'd in a fair wife," making it a quotation of Othello's remark con- 
cerning Iago, meaning, he says, that " Iago had so beautiful a wife that 
she was his heaven on earth, that he idolized her," etc. Steevens explains 
it as "very near being married," and quotes iv. I. 116 below: "Faith, 
the cry goes that you shall marry her." Tyrwhitt conjectures " life " for 
wife, " alluding to the judgment denounced in the Gospel against those 
of whom all men speak well" W. reads " wise." Other attempts at em- 
endation are "phyz" (Hanmer), "face" (Capell), "guise," "strife," etc. 

23. Division. Disposition, arrangement. Cf. Much Ado, v. 1. 230 : 
" Rightly reasoned, and in his own division." 

24. Theoric. Theory; as in A. W. iv. 3. 162 and Hen. V. i. I. 52. 

25. Toged. Wearing the toga, or gowned. It is the reading of the 
1st quarto ; the folios have "tongued," which some prefer. There seems 
to be a similar misprint of " tongue " for " togue " or " toge " in the 1st 
folio in Cor. ii. 3. 122, where the later folios substitute " gown." Steevens 
suggests that S. may have formed the word toged " in allusion to the 
Latin adage, Cedant arma togce." Cf. Cicero's use of togati—in the garb 
of peace. 

Propose. Speak, talk. See Much Ado, p. 140. 



i56 



NOTES. 



30. Be-lee'd. Placed on the lee, or in a position unfavourable to the 
wind (Schmidt). The folio has " Christen'd," which K. prefers to 
Christian. 

31. Debitor and creditor. The title of certain ancient treatises on 
book-keeping; here used as a nickname (Clarke). So counter-caster is 
contemptuous for an accountant, or one who reckons by counters. Cf. 
Cymb. v. 4. 174 : " O the charity of a penny cord ! it sums up thousands 
in a trice : you have no true debitor and creditor but it ; of what 's past, 
is, and to come, the discharge ; your neck, sir, is pen, book, and coun- 
ters." See also A. Y. L. p. 164. 

The folios and some modern eds. put a period after creditor. 
33. God bless the mark ! See M. of V. p. 138, or R. and J. p. 186. The 
folio omits God. 

Ancient. Ensign. See Hen. V. p. 154. 

36. Letter. " Recommendations by letter " (Schmidt). Clarke sug- 
gests that it may mean " according to the letter of his promise " or " in 
accordance with theoretical knowledge and pretensions" (cf. 17 or 24 
above). The Coll. MS. gives " favour.". 

37. Old gradation. The established order of promotion. Qi.M.for 
M. iv. 3. 104 : " By cold gradation " (that is, by deliberate steps). 

39. Affiii'd. Bound by any tie. Cf. ii. 3. 200 below. The 1st quarto 
has " assign'd." 

41. Content you. Be at ease, do not worry. Cf. Cymb. i. 5. 26 : " O, 
content thee !" Often it is — compose yourself, keep your temper. See 
Much Ado, p. 164, or R. and J. p. 160. 

45. Knee - crooking. Cf. Ham. iii. 2. 66 : " And crook the pregnant 
hinges of the knee," etc. 

48. For nought but provender, etc. Cf. what Antony says of Lepidus 
in J. C. iv. 1. 19 fol. 

49. Honest knaves. "Tago's sneer in using the word knaves for ser- 
vants, while scoffing at their fidelity, is of kindred wit with Falstaff's 
calling a tradesman who applies for his justly due money a knave " 
(Clarke). See 2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 41. Cf. 115 below. On me, see 
Gr. 220. 

50. Trimm'd . . . visages. The Coll. MS. has "learn'd . . «. usages," 
and W. conjectures " train'd . . . usages ;" but no change is really 
called for. Trimm'd in forms and visages = wearing the outward ap- 
pearance. 

6^. Compliment extern. Outward appearance (Schmidt). H. prints 
"complement." See R. aitd J. p. 171, note on Captai?i cf compliments. 
S. uses extern as a noun in Sonn. 125. 2. 

65. Daws. The 1st quarto has " Doues " (doves), which Malone de- 
fends. 

66. Full. The quarto reading ; the folio has " fall," which K. adopts, 
making the passage mean " What a fall does Fortune owe him !" With 
our reading, owe = own, possess ; as often. See Macb. p. 162 or M. N. D. 
p. 152, and cf. iii. 3. 333 below. For full fortune, cf. Cymb. v. 4. no and 
A. and C. iv. 15. 24. 

Thick-lips has been cited in support of the notion that Othello is a 



ACT I. SCENE I. 



157 



negro (see pp. 21, 25 above), but Roderigo uses the term contemptuously 
as = African. 

Coleridge remarks : " Roderigo turns off to Othello ; and here comes 
one, if not the only, seeming justification of our blackamoor or negro 
Othello. Even if we supposed this an uninterrupted tradition of the 
theatre, and that Shakspeare himself, from want of scenes, and the ex- 
perience that nothing could be made too marked for the senses of his 
audience, had practically sanctioned it — would this prove aught con- 
cerning his own intention as a poet for all ages ? Can we imagine him 
so utterly ignorant as to make a barbarous negro plead royal birth — at 
a time, too, when negroes were not known except as slaves ? As for 
Iago's language to Brabantio, it implies merely that Othello was a Moor, 
that is, black. Though I think the rivalry of Roderigo sufficient to ac- 
count for his wilful confusion of MoOr and Negro — yet, even if com- 
pelled to give this up, I should think it only adapted for the acting of 
the day, and should complain of an enormity built on a single word. 
. . . Besides, if we could in good earnest believe Shakspeare ignorant 
of the distinction, still why should we adopt one disagreeable pos- 
sibility instead of a ten times greater and more pleasing probability? 
It is a common error to mistake the epithets applied by the dramatis 
persouce to each other as truly descriptive of what the audience ought 
to see or know. No doubt Desdemona saw Othello's visage in his 
mind; yet, as we are constituted, and most surely as an English audi- 
ence was disposed in the beginning of the seventeenth century, it would 
be something monstrous to conceive this beautiful Venetian girl falling 
in love with a veritable negro. It would argue a disproportionateness, 
a want of balance; in Desdemona which Shakspeare does not appear 
to have in the least contemplated." 

68. The first him refers to Brabantio, the second to Othello. 

71. Though that. For that as "a conjunctional affix," see Gr. 287; 
and for as = that in 73, Gr. 109. 

75. Like . . . as. Cf. Rich. III. iv. 1.9: " Upon the like devotion as 
yourselves," etc. 

76. By night and negligence. That is, at night and through negli- 
gence. 

86. Zounds. Omitted in the folio. See R. and J. p. 180. 

87. Burst. Often used of the heart ; as in A. W. iv. 3. 367, J. C. iii. 2. 
190, Lear, v. 3. 182, 199, etc. 

%^>. Snorting. Snoring ; as in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 578 : " Fast asleep be- 
hind the arras, and snorting like a horse." 

93. Worser. The folio reading; the quartos have "worse." Cf. 
Gr. 11. 

94. Haunt. Usually transitive in S., but cf. Macb. i. 6. 9, and L. C. 130. 

97. Distempering. Disordering, intoxicating. Cf. Ham. iii. 2. 312,313. 

98. Upon malicious bravery. " Urged by a malicious desire to brave 
me" (Clarke). The folios have "knavery." For upon, see Gr. 191. 

104. A grange. That is, a lonely farm-house where a robbery could be 
easily committed. Cf. M.for M. iii. 1. 277 and W. T. iv. 4. 309. 

113. Odd-even, etc. Apparently meant for the interval between twelve 



iS8 



NOTES. 



at night and one in the morning, as Henley explains it. Clarke cites 
Macb. iii. 4. 127, where Macbeth asks "What is the night?" and Lady 
Macbeth replies "Almost at odds with morning, which is which." " Odd 
season " and " odd hour " have been suggested as emendations. 

115. Knave. Menial. See on 49 above. 

117. And your allowance. And is allowed or approved by you. The 
3d quarto has " and to your allowance." 

121. From. Away from, contrary to; as in J. C. i. 3. 35, ii. 1. 196, 
Ham. iii. 2. 22, etc. Gr. 158. 

126. In. Changed by Pope to "To," and by Capell to "On." The 
Coll. MS. also has " On," and " Laying " for Tying, and "wheedling" for 
wheeling. For in — on, cf. i. 3. 74 below : "in your own part ;" 2 Hoi. 
VI iii. 2. 257 : " In pain of your dislike," etc. Gr. 160. 

Extravagant. Wandering, vagabond. See Ham. p. 176. Wheeling 
has much the same sense. Cf. T. and C. v. 7. 2 : " Attend me where 
I wheel." 

138. Check. Rebuke ; as in iii. 3. 67 and iv. 3. 19 below. 

139. Cast him. Throw him over, dismiss him. Cf. ii. 3. 12, 254, and 
v. 2. 327 below. 

141. Stand in act. Are in action, are now going on. Stand is often 
nearly — be (Schmidt). Cf. i. 3. 70 and ii. 1. 51 below. 

142. Fathom. Calibre, capacity; a nautical metaphor. Cf. i. 2. 17 
below : "give him cable." 

Coleridge remarks here: "The forced praise of Othello followed 
by the bitter hatred of him in this speech ! And observe how Brabantio's 
dream prepares for his recurrence to the notion of philters, and how both 
prepare for carrying on the plot of the arraignment of Othello on this 
ground." 

148. Sagittary. " The residence at the arsenal of the commanding 
officers of the navy and army of the republic. The figure of an archer, 
with his drawn bow, still indicates the place " (K.). Some take it to be 
the name of an inn. Clarke suggests that it may be " a private house 
bearing one of those distinctive names, and even signs, which it was the 
mode formerly to give to private mansions in England." It appears 
from i. 2. 45 below that Othello was not at his usual lodging, and the 
messengers of the senate had not known where to find him. Cassio also 
asks " What makes he here ?" which implies that he was in an unfamiliar 
place. Note also what Othello says in i. 3. 121. If the arsenal had been 
the "place," no guide to it would have been necessary. 

151. My despised time. Cf. R. and J. i. 4. 1 10 : "a despised life clos'd 
in my breast." 

156. More. The folios have "moe." See A. Y.L.ip. 176 or Much 
Ado, p. 137. 

161. Is. The reading of quartos and 1st folio; the later folios have 
"Are." See Gr. 335. 

162. Maidhood. Used again in T. N. iii. 1. 162. The quartos have 
" manhood." 

163. Abused. Deluded, deceived. Cf. Temp. v. 1. 112, Much Ado, v. 2. 
100, etc. 



ACT I. SCENE IL 159 

171. At most. That is, of the houses. 

172. Night. From 1st quarto; the other early eds. have " might. " 

Scene II. — 2. Stuff V the conscience. Matter of conscience. Cf. Ham. 
ii. 2. 324 : " there was no such stuif in my thoughts," etc. 

3. Coiitriv'd. Deliberate. Cf. Hen. F". iv. 1. 171 : " premeditated and 
contrived murther ;" J. C. ii. 3. 16 : "the Fates with traitors do contrive" 
(that is, plot), etc. 

5. Yerk'd. Thrust, stabbed. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 7. 83 : " their wounded 
steeds . . . Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters." 

6. 7 Tis better, etc. " How well these few words impress at the outset 
the truth of Othello's own character of himself at the end, that he was 
* not easily wrought!' His self-government distinguishes him through- 
out from Leontes " (Coleridge). 

He. Probably referring to Roderigo. 

10. Forbear. Spare, let alone. Cf. Ham. v. 1. 296 : " For love of God, 
forbear himj" etc. 

12. Magnififo. Cf. M. of V. iii. 2. 282: "the magnificoes Of greatest 
port." Toilet quotes Minsheu, Diet. • *' The chief men of Venice are by 
a peculiar name called magniftci, L e. magnificoes.'''' 

14. Double. Malone quotes Thomas's Hist, of Italy, 1560 : " Whereas 
many have reported, the duke in ballotyng should have two voices ; it is 
nothinge so ; for in giving his voice he hath but one ballot, as all others 
have." He had, however, a vote in each of the various councils of the 
Venetian state, a privilege which no other person enjoyed. But double, 
as Steevens suggests, may be simply— forcible. Henley understands it to 
refer to the power of either divorcing or punishing. 

17. Give him cable. That is, give him cable for. For the ellipsis, cf. 
i. 3. 94 below : " I won his daughter " (with). Gr. 202. 

20. Which when I know. Omitted in 1st quarto. 

22. Siege. Rank ; literally, seat. Cf. Ham. iv. 7. 77 : " of the unwor- 
thiest siege." It is used in the literal sense in M. for M. iv. 2. 101 : 
"upon the very siege of justice." The quartos have " height" or 
" hight." 

Demerits. Merits ; as in Cor. i. 1. 276 : "Of his demerits rob Co- 
minius." It was = what one merits or deserves, in a good as well as a 
bad sense. For the latter, see Macb. iv. 3. 226 : " Not for their own de- 
merits, but for mine." Steevens quotes Dugdale, Warwickshh-e : " Henry 
Conway, esq., for his singular demerits received the dignity of knight- 
hood." 

23. Unbonneted. As this naturally means with the cap off '(cf. Lear, iii, 
1. 14), Pope changed it to " unbonnetting," Theo.to "and bonneted," and 
Hanmer to " e'en bonneted." Schmidt remarks : " Perhaps the meaning 
is simply, I may say so with all courtesy and humility ; and Othello's 
words must perhaps be accompanied by a corresponding gesture, as the 
1st folio seems to imply by placing the word unborineted in a paren- 
thesis." Coleridge says : " It is not /, but my demerits, that may speak 
unbonnetted — without the symbol of a petitioning inferior." 

26. Unhoused. " Free from domestic cares " (Johnson) ; " not tied to 



160 NOTES. 

a household and family " (Schmidt). In T. of A. iv. 3. 229, it is=house- 
less, shelterless. 

27. Circumscription. Restraint ; used by S. only here. 

Confine. Accented on either syllable, bee Ham, p. 176. Gr. 490. 

28. For the sea's worth. Cf. W, T. iv. 4. 501 : 

' ' for all the sun sees, 
Or the close earth wombs, or the profound sea hides 
In unknown fathoms;" 

and Hen. V. i. 2. 164 : 

"as rich with praise 
As is the ooze and bottom of the sea 
With sunken wrack and sunless treasuries." 

30. Yon were best. See J. C. p. 166, or Gr. 230, 352. 

31. Parts. Merits (Schmidt). Cf. i. 3. 252 below : "his valiant 
parts." 

33. Janus. Cf. M. of V. i. 1. 50 : "by two-headed Janus." 
35. The goodness, etc. Cf. M.for M, iv. 2. 76 : 

"The best and wholesomest spirits of the night 
Envelop you, good Provost f ' 

37. Haste-post-haste. An emphatic form of post-haste. Cf. "post-post- 
haste " in i. 3. 46 below. 

40. Heat. Haste, urgency ; as in 2 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 27, etc. 

41. Sequent. The 1st quarto has "frequent." 

43. Consuls. Senators, councillors ; as in i. 1. 25 above. Theo. 

changed it to "couns'lers," and Johnson to " council." 

46. About. The folio reading ; the quartos have " aboue " or " above." 
Quests. Used in a concrete sense, like search hri. 1. 148 (Schmidt). It 

is = inquest, jury, in Sonn. 46. 10 and Rich. III. i. 4. 189. 

49. Makes. Does. See Ham. p. 185. 

50. Carack. A large ship, or galleon. Cf. C. of E. iii. 2. 140 : "whole 
armadoes of caracks." Steevens quotes B. and F., Coxcomb : " They 're 
made like caracks, all for strength and stowage." 

52. To who? The later quartos and folios (3d and 4th) read "To 
whom ?" See Gr. 274. 

As Steevens remarks, it is singular that Cassio should ask this ques- 
tion. Cf. iii. 3. 94 fol. below. Blackstone suggests that his ignorance is 
affected, in order to keep his friend's secret until it should be publicly 
known, 

53. Have with you. I '11 go with you. See A. Y. L. p. 146. 

55. Be advised. Be cautious, take heed. See M. N. D. p. 126. 

56. To bad intent. Cf. T. of S. i. 2. 199 : " Why came I hither but to 
that intent?" Gr. 186. 

59. Keep up, etc. See p. 29 above. 

65. If she, etc. This line is not in the 1st quarto. 

67. Opposite. Opposed, averse. Cf. Lear, ii. 1. 51 : 

"Seeing how loathly opposite I stood 
To his unnatural purpose," etc. 

68. Curled. Foppish, elegant. Cf. A. and C. v. 2. 304 : " the curled 
Antony," etc. 



ACT I. SCENE III. 161 

70. Guardage. Guardianship ; used by S. nowhere else. 

71. To fear ; not to delight. "To one more likely to terrify than de- 
light her" (Malone). Steevens and Schmidt make fear and delight 
verbs. 

72-77. Judge . . . thee. Omitted in 1st quarto. For me> see on i. 1. 
49 above ; and cf. J. C. i. 2. 270, Ham. ii. 2. 601, etc. 
Gross in sense. " Palpable to reason " (Clarke). 

74. Minerals. Cf. ii. 1. 284 below : "like a poisonous mineral," etc. 

75. Weaken motion. "Subdue the impulse of affection" (Clarke). Cf. 

* " Did you by indirect and forced courses 

Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?"* 

Or it may mean "impair the faculties," as Ritson explains it; referring 
to the power attributed to love potions or philters " of perverting and of 
course weakening or impairing both the sight and judgment, and of pro- 
curing fondness or dotage toward any unworthy object." Schmidt gives 
a similar explanation. Hanmer changed weaken to "waken," taking 
motion to have the same sense as in i. 3. 328 below. 

Disputed on. Argued in court, made the subject of judicial investiga- 
tion. 

77. Attach. Arrest; a law term. Cf. R. and J. v. 3. 173: "whoe'er 
you find attach." See also Hen. VIII. i. 1, 217, i. 2. 210, etc. 

78. Abuser of the world. Corrupter of the community. 

83. Cue. For the literal and figurative use of the word in S., see Ham. 
p. 213. 

86. Course of direct session. The regular course of legal proceedings. 

Scene III. — 1. Composition. Consistency, agreement. 
News. Both singular and plural in S. See Much Ado, p. 125, and cf, 
32 below. 

5. Jump. Agree. Cf. T. N. v. 1. 259 : "till each circumstance ... do 
cohere and jump." So jump with, as in M. of V. ii. 9. 32, 1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 
78, etc. yz^tf =exact ; as in Much Ado, ii. 1. 375 : " a just seven-night ;" 
M. of V iv. 1. 327 : "a just pound," etc. 

6, Where the aim reports. " Where men report, not by certain knowl- 
edge, but by aim or conjecture" (Johnson). Cf. J. C. i. 2. 163 : " What 
yon would work me to, I have some aim," etc. The quartos have " they 
aim ;" and the Coll. MS. " with the same reports." 

10. / do not, etc. " I do not feel so over-confident on account of the 
error that may be in these reports, but that I can perceive ground for 
dread in the main particular" (Clarke). For fearful — full of fear, see 

?. C. p. 175. 

16. By Signior Angela. Omitted in 1st quarto. 

17. How say you by, etc. What say you to, etc. Cf. M. of V. i. 2. 58 : 
" How say you by the French lord ?" and see note in our ed. p. 132. 

18. By' no assay of reason. By any test of reason. For the double 
negative, see Gr. 406. 

Pageant. Show, pretence. The word is commonly applied to a theat- 
rical exhibition. See M. N. D. p. 163, 

L 



162 NOTES. 

20. Importancy. Used by S. nowhere else. 

23. With more facile question bear it. "With greater facility of con- 
test carry it" (Clarke). Question=" trial and decision by force of arms, 
as the ultima ratio regum " (Schmidt). 

24. For that, etc. Because it is not in such warlike condition of de- 
fence. Brace literally means armour ; as in Per. ii, 1. 133. Cf. vantbraa 
in T. and C. i. 3. 297/ 

30. Wage. Hazard, encounter. Cf. 1 Hen. IV. iv, 4. 20 : 

' ' too weak 
To wage an instant trial with the king." 
33. Oltomites. Ottomans. Cf. 235 and ii.3. 171 below, 

35. Injointed. Joined, allied. Cf. insinewed in the same sense in 
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 172 (see also K. John, v. 2. 63). 

36. Ay, etc. This line is not in the 1st quarto. 

37. Re-stem. The first quarto has " resterine," the other quartos " re- 
sterne." 

42. To believe him. That is, not to doubt the truth of this intelligence 
(Johnson). Sr. and Keightley read "relieve." 

44. Luccicos. The reading of all the early eds. changed by Capell to 
"Lucchese" because it is not an Italian form. K. suggests that it is 
probably the name of " a Greek soldier of Cyprus — an Estradiot — one 
who from his local knowledge was enabled to give him information." 

46. Post-post-haste. See on i. 2. 37 above. 

48. Valiant Othello, etc. Reed quotes Thomas, Hist, of Italy e : "By 
lande they are served of straungers, both for generalls, for capitaines, and 
for all other men of warre : because theyr lawe permitteth not any Vene- 
tian to be capitaine over an armie by lande : Fearing, I thinke, Caesar's 
example." See p. 154 above. 

49. Ottoman. Schmidt is doubtful whether this is noun or adjective. 
We are inclined to think it the latter. S. uses the word only here. 

52. Good your grace. See Gr. 13. 

56. Is of so flood-gate, etc. That is, has the impetuosity of a flood 
rushing through an open sluice. Cf. Hen. V. i. 1. 33 : 

" Never came reformation in a flood, 
With such a heady currance, scouring faults." 

57. Engluts. Swallows up. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 3. 83 : 

" For certainly thou art so near the gulf, 
Thou needs must be englutted." 

61. Mountebanks. Quacks. Cf. Ham. iv. 7. 142: "I bought an unc- 
tion of a mountebank," etc. The word is used as a verb (=gull) in Cor. 
iii. 2. 132. 

63. Being, etc. This line is not in the 1st quarto. 

64. Sans. See A. Y. I. p. 163. 

67. The bloody book of law. By the Venetian law the giving of love- 
potions was highly criminal (Clarke). 

69. Proper. Own ; as often. Cf. Temp. iii. 3. 60 : " their proper 
selves ;" M.for M. iii. 1.413 : " his proper tongue," etc. 

70. Stood in your action. Were the subject of your accusation. See 
on i. 1. 141 above. 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



163 



82. Soft. The folio reading ; the quartos have " set." Cf. Cor. iii. 2. 82 : 

"Thou art their soldier, and being bred in broils 
Hast not the soft way which, thou dost confess, 
Were fit for thee to use," etc. 

90. Round. Plain, direct. See Hen. V, p. 175. For the adverb 
( = directly) see Ham. p. 203. For unvarnished the 2d and 3d quartos 
have " unravish'd." On deliver— relate, see Ham. p. 186. 

94. I won his daughter. The later folios add " with." See on i. 2. 17 
above, and cf. T.of A. iv. 3. 262 : " more than I could frame employ- 
ment " (for) ; Cymb. ii. 4. 68 : " well worth watching " (for), etc. 

96. Herself. Itself. Cf. Gr. 229. 

105. Conjured. Charmed by incantations. For the accent, see M.N 
D. p. 164. 

107. More wider. More apparent or obvious (Schmidt). For the 
double comparative, see Gr. 11. The quartos have "more certaine ;" 
and the 1st folio joins this speech to the preceding. 

Overt test. " Open proofs, external evidence " (Johnson). 

108. Thin habits. Superficial appearances. 

109. Modern. Common, insignificant. See Macb. p. 243. 
115. Sagittary. See on i. 1. 148 above. 

118. The trust, etc. The line is not in the 1st quarto ; neither is 123 
just below. 

124. Justly. Truthfully. Cf. M.for M. v. 1. 298 : " Look you speak 
justly," etc. 

125. Thrive. Prosper, succeed. CLM.of V. ii. 7. 60 : "Here do I 
choose, and thrive I as I may," etc. 

136. Scapes. Not " 'scapes," as often printed. See A. Y. L. p. 171. 

139. Portancein my. The reading of the folios and 2d and 3d quar- 
tos. The 1st quarto has "with it all my." Portance— conduct, deport- 
ment ; as Cor. ii. 3. 232 : " his present portance." 

140. Antres. Caverns (Latin, antrum) ; found only here. 

Idle. Barren, unproductive ; the reading of the quartos and 1st folio. 
Wiclif has " The earth was idel and voide." The later folios read 
" wild." Cf. idleness— want of cultivation, in 323 below and in Hen. V. 
v. 2. 51. 

142. // was my hint. I had occasion. Cf. hmt= subject, in Temp. i. 
.2. 134, ii. 1. 3, etc. 

143. Cannibals. Also alluded to in 3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 152, v. 5. 61. In 
2 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 180 Pistol confounds the word with " Hannibals." 

144. Anthropophagi. Man-eaters. The quartos print "Anthro- 
pophagie," and the 1st folio " Antropophague." Raleigh, in his Dis- 
coverie of Guiana, 1 596, mentions the Amazons, the Cannibals, and the 
" nation of people whose heads appear not above their shoulders." So 
Hakluyt, in his Voyages, 1598, speaks of a people " whose heades appeare 
not above their shoulders : they are reported to have their eyes in their 
shoulders, and their mouthes in the middle of their breasts." In Hol- 
land's Pliny, i6oi,we read of "Anthropophagi, or eaters of man's flesh, 
whom we have placed above the north pole, tenne daies journey by land 
above the river Borysthenes," etc., and of people "without heads stand- 



164 NOTES. 

ing upon their neckes who carrie eies in their shoulders." Hall, in his 
Quo Vadis, refers to " headlesse Easterne people that have their eyes in 
their breasts, a misconceit arising from the fashion of their attire," etc. 
Steevens quotes the tragedy of Locrine, 1595 : 

" Or where the bloody Anthropophagi 
With greedy jaws devour the wandring wights." 

Cf. Temp. iii. 3. 46 : 

"or that there were such men 
Whose heads stood in their breasts? 

147. Still. Ever, very often. Gr. 69. 

149. A greedy ear. M alone cites Marlowe, Lust's Dominion, written 

before 1593 : 

" Hang both your greedy ears upon my lips ; 
Let them devour my speech ;" 

and Spenser, F. Q. vi. 9. 26 : 

"Whylest thus he talkt, the knight with greedy eare 
Hong still upon his melting mouth attent." 

153. Dilate. Relate at length. Cf. C. of E. i. 1. 123 : 

"Do me the favour to dilate at full 
What hath befall'n of them and thee till now." 

So dilated— detailed in A. W. ii. 1. 59 and Ham. i. 2. 38. 

155. Intentively. Attentively. The 1st folio has "instinctively," and 
the other folios "distinctively." Steevens cites Chapman, Iliad, x. : 
"with intentive ear;" and Odyssey, vm.: "intentively retaine." Bul- 
lokar, in his Expositor, 1616, has "Intentive, which listeneth well and is 
earnestly bent to a thing ;" and Cockerham, in his Diet, of Hard lVo?'ds, 
1632, "Intentive, that listeneth." 

159. Sighs. The quarto reading; the folios have "kisses," which is 
inconsistent with the character of Desdemona (see 94 above), and with 
what follows. 

160. Passing. Often used adverbially, but only before adjectives and 
adverbs (Schmidt). 

On swore, cf. Whitaker's Vindication of Mary Queen of Scots (quoted 
by Steevens) : " Let not the modern reader be hurt here and in para- 
graph x. at a Lady, a Queen, and a Mary, swearing. To aver upon faith 
and honour, was then called swearing, equally with a solemn appeal to 
God ; and considered as the same with it." 

163. Her. That is, for her ; though some take it to mean that she 
would fain have been such a man. The former explanation is favoured 
by what follows. 

167. Hint. The folio reading; the quartos have "heate." 

173. Take up, etc. That is, make the best of it. Cf. at the best—2& 
well as possible, in T. of A. iii. 6. 29, etc. 

177. On my head. The folio reading; the quartos have "light (or 
" lite ") on me." 

183. Learn. Teach. See Much Ado, p. 153 or A. Y. L. p. 141. 

188. Challenge. Claim. Cf. Lear, i. 1. 54 : " Where nature doth with 
merit challenge," etc. 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



I6 5 



190. Please it your grace. See A. Y.L.p. 138, note on So please you, 
or M. of V. p. 134, note on If it please you. 

191. Had rather to. See M. of V. p. 132, note on / had rather to be 
married. 

194. Which, etc. This line is omitted in the 1st quarto. 

195. For your. Hanmer reads "And for your" for the sake of the 
measure. Cf. Gr. 484. 

197. Escape. Clarke thinks the word may have the sense of " sally, 
prank" (Fr. escapade) in addition to that of " flight, elopement." 

199. Like yourself. " In a strain of resignation to that which is ir- 
retrievably past and gone, like yours when you say * I have done ' " 
(Clarke). Sir J. Reynolds explains it : " Let me speak as yourself would 
speak, were you not too much heated with passion." 

200. Grise. Step, degree. Cf. T. N. iii. 1. 135 : 

" Olivia. That 's a degree to love. 

" Viola. No, not a grise ;" 

and T. of A. iv. 3. 16 : " every grise of fortune." 

201. Into your favour. Omitted in the folios. 

202. When remedies, etc. Cf. L. L. L. v. 2. 28: "past cure is still 
past care." 

205. Next. Nearest. Cf. W. T. iii. 3. 129 : " the next way home ;" 1 
Hen. IV. iii. 1. 264 : "'T is the next way to turn tailor," etc. For nezv 
the quartos have " more." 

213. The free comfort, etc. "The gratuitous sentiments of consola- 
tion which he hears delivered together with the sentence" (Clarke). 

219. Pierced. Penetrated, reached. Cf. M. of V. v. 1. 67: "With 
sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear," etc. Warb. would read 
" pieced "=cured. 

220. Beseech you, etc. The quarto reading ; the 1st and 2d folios 
have " I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of state." 

222. Fortitude. Strength. Cf. I Hen. VI. ii. 1. 17 : "his own arm's 
fortitude." 

224. Allowed. Acknowledged ; as in Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 4 : " And on 
all sides the authority allow'd," etc. 

225. More safer. Cf. " more wider " in 107 above ; also Temp. i. 2 
19 : " more better," etc. 

226. Slubber. Sully, soil. S. uses the word only here and in M. of V. 
ii. 8. 39 : " Slubber ( — slight, slur over) not business for my sake ;" but 
we have beslubber (=daub, smear) in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4.341. 

For the metaphor, cf. Much Ado, iii. 2. 6 : " that would be as great a 
soil in the new gloss of your marriage," etc. ; and Macb. i. 7. 34 : " Which 
should be worn now in their newest gloss." 

229. Couch. The quartos have " cooch," the folios "coach." 

230. Thrice -driven. Referring to the selection of the feathers by 
driving with a fan, to separate the light from the heavy (Johnson). 

Agnize. Acknowledge, confess, avow. Malone quotes A Summarie 
Report, etc., 1586: "a repentant convert, agnising her Maiesties great 
mercie," etc. 



1 66 NOTES. 

232. Hardness. Hardship; as in Cymb. iii. 6. 21 : " hardness ever 
Of hardiness is mother." 

236. Reference. Assignment. The 1st quarto (followed by 3d and 
4th folios) has "reuerence." 

Exhibition. Provision, allowance ; as in T. G. of V. i. 3. 69 : 

" What maintenance he from his friends receives, 
Like exhibition thou shalt have from me." 

See also iv. 3. 72 below. 

273. Besort. " Befitting attendance " (Clarke). Schmidt defines ac- 
commodation and besort as "besorting or convenient accommodation." 
We find the verb in Lear, i. 4. 272: "such men as may besort (=be- 
come, befit) your age." 

238. Levels with. Is in keeping with. 

Lf you. please, etc. The 1st folio has " Why at her Fathers?" the 
other folios, " Why, at her Fathers." 

240. Nor I ; L would not. The folios have " Nor would I." 

243. To my unfolding. To what I say. Cf. M. W. i. 3. 105, ii. 2. 227, 
etc. 

¥ ox your prosperous (that is, propitious, favouring) the quartos have 
"a gracious." Cf. T. of A. v. 1. 186: "To the protection of the pros- 
perous gods." 

244. And let me, etc. " Let your favour privilege me " (Johnson). 

245. Siitipleness. Simplicity. See Much Ado, p. 141. 

247. That L did love, etc. " Here is a notable instance of the way in 
which S. makes his most gentle women speak out firmly and eloquent- 
ly when stress of need comes. Desdemona, since her entrance, has re- 
mained silent, save when directly appealed to by her father, when sec- 
onding her husband's fiat by echoing his 'Nor I,' and now when replying 
to the Duke's question. Desdemona is gentle even to timidity ; but, 
like many women whose gentleness of nature has been wrought into 
timidity by a too rigid strictness on the part of those who bring them 
up, she is capable of singularly bold action and self-assertion on rare 
occasions. Her independent act in leaving her father's house, and 
marrying the man of her choice, is precisely characteristic of the one, 
and her present speech is an eminent specimen of the other. Encour- 
aged by loving treatment, she is capable of exerting moral strength ; 
chilled by severity, she is a moral coward. Desdemona has the virtues 
of a gentle-natured woman; but, alas ! she also has the faults of a timid 
woman" (Clarke). 

248. My downright violence, etc. The bold action I have taken, and 
the stormy fortunes I have voluntarily encountered, in order to marry 
him. The 1st quarto has " scorne of Fortunes." 

249. Subdued, etc. Made subject to the very nature of my lord. Ma- 
lone makes ^z/tf//^/= profession,- but the next line favours the other ex- 
planation. For very quality/ the 1st quarto has "utmost pleasure." 

255. A moth. "Figuratively, an idle eater " (Schmidt). 

258. Dear. Deeply felt. See Rich. LL. p. 164 or Temp. p. 124. 

259. Let her have your voices. The folio has " voice." The quarto 
reading is 



ACT I. SCENE III. 1 67 

"Your voyces Lords: beseech you let her will 
Have a free way." 

260. Vouch with me, heaven. Omitted in 1st quarto. 

262, 263. Nor to comply, etc. A much disputed passage. The quartos 
have "heate, the young affects, In my defunct ;" the 1st folio, " heat the 
yong affects (" effects " in later folios) In my defunct," etc. The read- 
ing in the text is Rann's. The meaning is, " I ask it not to please ap- 
petite, or satisfy loose desires, the passions of youth which I have now 
outlived, or for any particular gratification of myself, but merely that I 
may indulge the wishes of my wife " (Johnson). Theo. reads " heat, the 
young affects, In my distinct," etc. ; Malone changes " distinct " to " dis- 
junct." For other attempts at emendation, see the Var. of 1821 and the 
Camb. ed. For 0^tfj=inclinations, desires, cf. L. L. L. i. 1. 152 : " For 
every man w T ith his affects is born," etc. It has been said that Othello 
would hardly " confess that all youthful passions were defunct in him ;" 
but it may be replied that he only means, as the connection shows, that 
their early impetuosity is past — that he can control them, and is no 
longer controlled by them. In iii. 3. 265, he again alludes to the fact 
that he is not a young man, but " declined into the vale of years." After 
all, the passage is not without its difficulties ; but the reading in the 
text is quite as satisfactory as any of the freer emendations that have 
been proposed. 

264. Free. Liberal, bountiful. Cf. 1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 82: "liberal and 
free ;" T. and C. iv. 5. 100 : " His heart and hand both open and both 
free," etc. 

265. Defend. Forbid. See Much Ado, p. 129. 

266. Scant. Be deficient in, neglect. Cf. iv. 3. 88 below. 

267. For. Because. See M. of V. p. 134, note on For he is a Christian. 
Toys. Trifles. Cf. 1 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 145 : "a toy, a thing of no regard." 

See also M. N. D. p. 179. 

268. Seel. Blind; a term in falconry. See Macb. p. 212. The quar- 
tos have "foyles," and the Coll. MS. gives "foil." 

269. Offic d. The folio reading; the quartos have "active." In either 
case, the meaning is " my visual and active powers." So speadation= vis- 
ion ; as in Macb. iii. 4. 95 : " no speculation in those eyes," etc. 

270. Disports. Sports, pastimes ; as in R. of L. arg. 11 : "in several 
disports." 

271. Skillet. A small kettle or boiler; still a familiar word in New 
England. 

272. Indign. Unworthy, disgraceful ; used by S. only here. 

273. Estimation. The folio reading ; the quartos have " reputation," 
which means the same. 

282. Iitiport. Concern. Cf. L. L. L. iv. 1. 57 : " This letter is mistook, 
it importeth none here," etc. 

285. With what else, etc. That is, whatever else your grace shall think 
needful, etc. For many similar transpositions, see Gr. 419^. Cf. v. 2. 4 
below. 

287. And, noble signior. Most editions insert here the stage direction, 
" To Brabantio ;" but the speech itself shows to whom it is addressed. 



i68 NOTES. 

288. Delighted. "Delighting" (Hanmer's reading) or delightful. Cf. 
Cymb.V.4. 102: -to make my gift, 

The more delay'd, delighted." 

Cf. becomed— becoming, in R. and J. iv. 2. 26, etc. 

291. If thou hast eyes to see. The 1st quarto reads "have a quick eye 
to see." 

Coleridge observes here : " In real life, how do we look back to little 
speeches as presentimental of, or contrasted with, an affecting event ! 
Even so Shakespeare, as secure of being read over and over, of becoming 
a family friend, provides this passage for his readers, and leaves it to them." 

296. In the best advantage. At the most favourable opportunity. Cf. 
ii. 1. 237 and iii- 3. 312 below. 

304. Incontinently. Immediately. It is used by S. only here, but we 
have incontinent in the same sense in iv. 3. n below. See also A. Y. L. 
v. 2. 42 and Rich. II. v. 6. 48. 

311. Four tiptes seven years. " It is remarkable that S. has here taken 
pains to specify the exact age of Iago, as he has specified that of Hamlet. 
They are perhaps the two most intellectual characters that our poet has 
drawn ; and he has made them nearly of the same age, as if at that period 
of life a man's intellect were at its culminating point of activity and en- 
ergy. . . . That Iago should be no more than twenty-eight years old, and 
yet so versed in worldly ways, so decided in his opinions, so competent 
in stratagem, so expert in turning the worthiest as well as the weakest 
points of human nature to his purpose, so utterly without faith in good- 
ness as he is, makes him the more an innate villain. His cynical con- 
tempt is not the growth of sad experience or soured feeling, his coarse- 
ness and hardness are not the result of a long course of battling with the 
world, the savage pertinacity of revenge is not the offspring of an old- 
conceived resentment; but he is a hard, cold-blooded, almost vivacious 
scoundrel, from inherent disposition, who uses his keen intellect with the 
same fierce joy in its skill and power to destroy that he uses his sharp 
dagger or sword" (Clarke). 

314. A guinea-hen. A cant term for a woman of loose character. 

317. Fond. Foolish ; as often. See M. N. D. p. 163. 

318. Virtue I a jig, etc. Coleridge remarks: "This speech comprises 
the passionless character of Iago. It is all will in intellect ; and there- 
fore he is here a bold partisan of a truth, but yet of a truth converted into 
a falsehood by the absence of all the necessary modifications caused by 
the frail nature of man. And then comes the last sentiment : 

" 'Our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this that 
you call love to be a sect or scion !' 

Here is the true Iagoism of, alas ! how many ! Note Iago's pride of 
mastery in the repetition of ' Go, make money !' to his anticipated dupe, 
even stronger than his love of lucre ; and when Roderigo is completely 

WOn ~~ "'lam chang' d. I '11 go sell all my land ;' 

when the effect has been fully produced, the repetition of triumph — 

"'Go to; farewell; put money enough in your purse!' 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



169 



The remainder — Iago's soliloquy — the motive-hunting of a motiveless 
malignity — how awful it is ! Yea, whilst he is still allowed to bear the 
divine image, it is too fiendish for his own steady view — for the lonely 
gaze of a being next to devil, and only not quite devil — and yet a char- 
acter which Shakspeare has attempted and executed without disgust and 
without scandal !" See also p. 31 fol. above. 

322. Gender. Kind. Cf. The Phoenix and the Turtle ', 18 : "thy sable 
gender." 

323. Idleness. See on i. 3. 140 above. 

325. Balance. The folios have " brain " or " braine," which Steevens 
takes to be a misprint for "beam." 

328. Motions. Sensual impulses. For stings, see A. Y. L. p. 164, note 
on The brutish sting. Unbilled =\ix\brid\z&. 

330. Sect. Cutting; changed by Hanmer to "slip," and by Johnson 
to "set." 

335. Perdurable. An emphatic form of durable. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 5. 7 : 
" O perdurable shame !" < 6operdurably = lastingly, in M.for M. iii. 1. 115. 

336. Stead. Help, be of use to ; as in Temp. i. 2. 165, M. of V. i. 3. 7, 
R. and J. ii. 3. 54, etc. 

337. Defeat thy favour. Disfigure or disguise thy face. F 'or favour •— 
face, see J. C. p. 131. Cf. Gen. xxix. 17, etc. 

342. Sequestration. Separation, rupture. Cf. Hen. V. i. 1. 58 : 

"Any retirement, any sequestration 
From open haunts and popularity." 

Sequester is used in the same sense in iii. 4. 39 below. 

344. Locusts. Perhaps here called luscious from their association with 
honey in Matt. iii. 4 (Schmidt). 

345. Coloquintida. Colocynth, or "bitter apple." Bullein, in his Bul- 
wark of Defence, 1579, speaks of it as " most bitter, white like a baule, full 
of seedes, leaves like to cucumbers," etc. 

351. Erring. Erratic, wandering; as in Ham. i. 1. 154: "The extrav- 
agant and erring spirit," etc. 

Supersubtle. Used by S. nowhere else. Cf. superdainty (T. of S. ii. 1. 
189), superfinical {Lear, ii. 2. 19), etc. 

354. Clean. Entirely. Cf. J. C. i. 3. 35 : " clean from the purpose," 
etc. See also Josh. iii. 17, Ps. Ixxvii. 8, etc. 

357. If I depend 011 the issue. Omitted in 1st quarto. 

361. Hearted. Seated or fixed in the heart. Cf. iii. 3. 436 below: 
"hearted throne." 

362. Conjunctive. Conjoined, united. Cf. Ham. iv. 7. 14: "conjunc- 
tive to my life and soul." The 1st quarto has "communicative." 

365. Traverse. A military word of command — march, go on (Schmidt). 
Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 291 : " Hold, Wart, traverse." 

370-374. Goto . . . purse. The reading of the 2d and 3d quartos. The 
1st folio reads thus : 

" Iago. Go too, farewell, Do you heare, Rodorigo? 
"Rod. He sell all my Land. Exit. 

"Iago. Thus do I euer make my Foole, my purse:" 

Some modern eds. follow the folio. 



170 NOTES. 

376. Snipe. " Woodcock is the term generally used by S. to denote 
an insignificant fellow [see Ham. p. 191] ; but Iago is more sarcastic, 
and compares his dupe to a smaller and meaner bird" (Steevens). 

378. It is thought, etc. Snider {System of Shakespeare's Dramas, vol. 
i. p. 112 fol.) endeavours to show that Iago is really jealous of Othello, 
and that the latter has been guilty of adultery with Emilia, but it does 
not seem to us that he makes out his case. 

381. Will do, etc. " That is, I will act as if I were certain of the 
fact " (Mason). 

Holds me well. Thinks well of me. See Much Ado, p. 144. 

383. Proper. Comely, handsome. See Mer. p. 132 or A. Y. L. p. 143. 

384. To plume tcp my will, etc. " This, in Iago's mouth, has most 
characteristic effect ; as if any project that involved reduplication of 
knavery were a feather in the cap of his depraved will — a thing to plume 
himself upon as a feat of intellectual volition. The words S. chooses 
are so significant, so inclusive, that they suggest a crowd of images in 
their expressive conciseness " (Clarke). For plume the 1st quarto has 
" make." 

386. Abuse. Deceive, delude. See on i. 1. 163 above. 

388. Dispose. Disposition, temper. Cf. T. and C. ii. 3. 174: 

11 He doth rely on none, 
But carries on the stream of his dispose 
Without observance or respect of any," etc. 



ACT II. 

Scene I. — A Seaport in Cyprtis. Undoubtedly Famagusta, which 
was the chief port of the island at that time. See p. 154 above. 

2. High-wrought. S. is fond of compounds with high ; as high-battled, 
high-judging, high-reared, high-resolved, high-sighted, high-stomached, etc. 

3. Heaven. Sky. The 1st quarto has "haven." 

5. At land. We still say at sea, but not at land. In Florio's M071- 
taigne we find " at shore." Cf. Gr. 143, 144. 

7. Ruffian'' d. Played the ruffian, been boisterous ; the only instance 
of the verb in S. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 22 : " the ruffian billows ;" and T. 
and C. i. 3. 38 : " the ruffian Boreas." 

8. Mountains melt. Perhaps suggested by Judges, v. 5 : " The moun- 
tains melted from before the Lord " (Steevens). 

10. Segregation. Separation, dispersion ; used by S. only here. 

12. The chidden billow. The quartos have " chiding." S. often uses 
chide in the sense of " to make an incessant noise." Cf. A. Y. L. ii. 1. 7 : 
"And churlish chiding of the winter's wind;" Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 197 : "As 
doth a rock against the chiding flood," etc. In M. N. D. iv. 1. 120, it is 
used of the baying of hounds. 

13. Wind-shak?d. We have wind-shaken in Cor. v. 2. 117 : " the oak 
not to be wind-shaken." S. uses shaked, shook, and shaken as the par- 
ticiple. 



ACT II. SCENE I 171 

Mane. The quartos have "mayne," the folios "maine," or "main." 
Most of the modern eds. give "main" ( = force, as in "might and 
main "), which is quite as likely to be right. 

15. The guards, etc. Johnson says, " alluding to the star Arctophy- 
lax." The constellation now known as Bootes was originally called 
Arctophylax, or Arcturus, both of which names mean the guard or keeper 
of the bear. The name Arcturus was afterwards given to the principal 
star in the constellation. We have no doubt that the guards of the pole 
here are the two stars commonly called the Pointers. The 1st quarto 
reads " ever-fired." 

16. Molestation. Disturbance ; used nowhere else by S. 

17. Enchafed — chafed (see J. C. p. 131), enraged. Cf. Cymb. iv. 2. 
174 : "Their royal blood enchaf'd." 

18. Embay' d. Land-locked. For these words with the prefix en-, 
see Gr. 440. 

22. Designment. Design, enterprise. Cf. Cor. v. 6. 35 : " serv'd his 
designments." 

23. Sufferance. Disaster. 

25, 26. The early eds. put a colon after in, and a comma after Vero- 
nese, which the quartos spell " Veronessa," and the 1st folio " Veren- 
nessa." Theo. changed the pointing to "in, A Veronessa; Michael," 
etc., and is followed by some of the recent editors, who take the ship to 
be " one fitted out by the people of Verona, a city of the Venetian state." 
This is a rather forced explanation ; and, as a choice of difficulties, it 
seems better to suppose that S. forgot for the moment that he had made 
Cassio a Florentine, or that he chose to let the speaker call him a Ver- 
onese. Veronese may be metrically a quadrisyllable ; some print it 
"Veronese." 

30. On V. Of it. See Gr. 181. For V is, cf. Macb. i. 4. 58 : " It is a 
peerless kinsman;" T. of A. iii. 1. 23 : "a noble gentleman 't is," etc. 
Oftener it is used contemptuously ; as in M. of V. iii. 3. 18, Hen. V. iii. 6. 
70, A. and C. iii. 2. 6, etc. 

34. With. By. See Gr. 193. 

36. Full. Complete, perfect. Cf. A. and C. iii. 13. 8j : "the fullest 
man." 

.39,40. Even till . . . regard. Omitted in 1st quarto. Regard— 
view ; as in L. C. 213 : "The deep-green emerald, in whose fresh re- 
gard," etc. 

42. Arrivance. Arrival. The 1st folio has " Arriuancie." Clarke 
notes that there is an unusual number of words in -ce in this play. 

49. Expert and approved allowance. That is, allowed and proved ex- 
pertness. See Ham. p. 271, note on Excellent differences. 

50. My hopes, etc. " My hopes, not having been utterly destroyed by 
reiterated false excitement and successive defeat, remain in confident ex- 
pectation of being fulfilled " (Clarke). Malone compares T. N. i. 1. 2 : 

11 Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, 
The appetite may sicken and so die ;" 

and T. G. of V. iii. 1. 220 : 



jj 2 NOTES. 

"O, I have fed upon this woe already, 
And now excess of it will make me surfeit."' 

Henley cites Prov. xiii. 12 : " Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." 

60. Wiv'd. Cf. M. of V. i. 2. 145 : " I had rather he should shrive me 
than wive me ;" 2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 61 : " manned, horsed, and wived," etc. 

61. Achieved. Won ; as in M. of V. iii. 2. 210 : " Achiev'd her mis- 
tress," etc. 

Coleridge remarks : " Here is Cassio's warm-hearted, yet perfectly 
disengaged, praise of Desdemona, and sympathy with the ' most fortu- 
nately ' wived Othello ; and yet Cassio is an enthusiastic admirer, almost 
a worshipper, of Desdemona. O, that detestable code that excellence 
cannot be loved in any form that is female but it must needs be selfish ! 
Observe Othello's ■ honest,' and Cassio's ' bold ' lago, and Cassio's full 
guileless-hearted wishes for the safety and love-raptures of Othello and 
' the divine Desdemona.' And also note the exquisite circumstance of 
Cassio's kissing Iago's wife, as if it ought to be impossible that the dull- 
est auditor should not feel Cassio's religious love of Desdemona's purity. 
Iago's answers are the sneers which a proud, bad intellect feels towards 
women, and expresses to a wife. Surely it ought to be considered a 
very exalted compliment to women, that all the sarcasms on them in 
Shakspeare are put in the mouths of villains." 

63. Quirks. Conceits ; as in Much Ado, ii. 3. 245 : " odd quirks and 
remnants of wit," etc. Blazoning— praising, extolling ; as in R. and J. 
ii. 6. 26 : " and that thy skill be more To blazon it," etc. 

64. The essential vesture of creation. " The real qualities with which 
creation has invested her " (Johnson). S. uses essential nowhere else. 

65. Does tire the enginer. Wearies out the inventor (Schmidt) ; or 
tires whoever attempts to devise eulogies worthy of her. The 1st quarto 
has " Does beare all excellency ;" the 1st folio, " Do's tyre the Ingeniuer." 
Steevens reads " ingener " = ingenious person, or artist; and cites B.J. 
Sejanus, i. 1 : 

11 No, Silius, we are no good ingeners, 
We want the fine arts," etc. 

Johnson suggests "th' ingenious verse," Capell gives "tire the inventer," 
and Jervis conjectures " tire the imaginer." The reading in the text is 
doubtful, but it is preferable to the tame phrase of the quarto. 

70. Ensteep^d. The reading of the folios and 2d and 3d quartos. The 
1st quarto has " enscerped," which W. takes to be a misprint of " en- 
scarp'd." Boswell explains traitors ensteep^d as "traitors concealed 
under the water;" and Schmidt defines eiisteeped as "steeped, lying 
under water." 

72. Mortal. Deadly, destructive. See Rich. II. p. 189 or Macb. p. 
171. 

74. Captatti's captain. Cf. Rich. III. iv. 4. 336 : " And she shall be 
sole victress, Caesar's Caesar." 

77. Se^nnigJifs. See A. Y. L. p. 177. We have seven-night in Much 
Ado, ii. 1. 375 and W. T. i. 2. 17. 

Jove. " For this absurdity I have not the smallest doubt that the 
Master of the Revels, and not our poet, is answerable" (Malone), 



ACT II. SCENE I. I73 

Clarke remarks : " Far from thinking that there is either ' absurdity ' in 
the word, or that it was a substitution for any other, we believe it to have 
been the author's own word, characteristically put into Cassio's mouth 
here. To this day Italians use mythological adjurations in common 
with Christian appeals; and in Shakespeare's timethe custom was 
almost universal." 

80. Extincted. Used by S. only here ; but we have extinct in Rich. 
II. i. 3. 222 and Ham. i. 3. 118, and extinctive in L. C. 294. 

81. And bring, etc. This line is found only in the quartos. 

82. Riches. Singular, as in iii. 3. 173 below. Cf. Sonn. $j. 6: "for 
that riches," etc. 

86. Enwheel. Encompass. Gr. 440. 

103. List. Desire, inclination ; the reading of 1st quarto. The folios 
and later quartos have " leave," and the Coll. MS. "lust." 

106. Chides. Scolds ; as in A. Y. L. iii. 5. 64, 65, etc. 

no. Saints in your injuries. Sanctimonious when doing injuries. 

ill. Housewives. Often used contemptuously = hussies. Cf. iv. I. 87 
below, and see Hen. V. p. 183. 

118. Critical. Censorious; as in M. N. D.v. 1.54: "some satire, 
keen and critical." S. uses the word only twice ; but he has critic in the 
same sense in L. L. L. iv. 3. 170: "critic Timon." The noun also is 
always = censurer, carper ; as in Sonn. 112. 10, T. and C. v. 2. 131, etc. 

121. I am not merry, etc. "The struggle of courtesy in Desdemona 
to abstract her attention " (Coleridge). 

125. Birdlime. For the allusion, see Ham. p. 233, note on Limed. 
Prize is a coarse woollen cloth, mentioned again in M. W. v. 5. 146. 
Steevens quotes The Puritan • " The excuse stuck upon my tongue, like 
ship-pitch upon a mariner's gown." 

132. White. There is a play on white and wight (Schmidt) ; and in 
135 just below, one on folly, which was often=wantonness. See on v. 2. 
132 below. 

137. Fond. Foolish; as in i. 3. 317 above, 

142. Heavy. Dull. Cf. K. John, iv. 1. 47 : " cheer'd up the heavy 
time," etc. 

144. One that, etc. One who, in the consciousness of her own merit, 
dare challenge the testimony of malice itself in her behalf. 

153. To change, etc. As (Gr. 281) to change a choice bit for one less 
esteemed. Steevens cites Queen Elizabeth's Household Book : " Item, 
the Master Cookes have to fee all the salmon's tailes." 

155. See suitors, etc. This line is not in the 1st quarto. 

156. Wight. Originally ^person, and applied to both sexes. Cf. Dray- 
ton, Muses'' Elys. : 

"These sprightly gallants lov'd a lass, 
Call' d Lirope the bright ; 
In the whole world there scarcely was 
So delicate a wight." 

158. Chronicle small beer. That is, keep petty household accounts. 
161. Profane and liberal counsellor. Coarse and wanton talker. For 
profane, cf. 2 Hen. IV. v. 5. 54 ; and for liberal, see Ham. p. 258. 



NOTES. 

hat is, without reserve (Schmidt). Cf. Ham. iii. 3. 
-.in home " (reprove him soundly) ; Id. iii. 4. 1 : " Look 
, uume to him ;" M.for M. iv. 3. 148 : " Accuse him home and 
nome," etc. 

165. Well said. Well done ; as in iv. I. 107 and v. 1. 98 below. 
167. Gyve. Fetter, shackle ; the only instance of the verb in S. Court- 
ship— courtesy ; as in L. L. L. v. 2. 363 : " Trim gallants, full of court- 
ship and of state," etc. 

171. Play the sir. Play the fine gentleman. For the ironical use, cf. 
W. T. i. 2. 212 : "this great sir;" Cymb. i. 1. 166: " To. draw upon an 
exile ! O brave sir !" etc. 

172. Courtesy. It is doubtful whether this refers to Cassio or Desde- 
mona, as the word in the sense of an act of salutation was used of both 
sexes. See Much Ado, p. 159, note on Com-tesies ; and cf. R. of L. 1338 : 
" The homely villain court'sies to her low." 

178. Warrior. In playful allusion to her having followed him to the 
wars ; and perhaps Desdemona has the present address in mind in iii. 4. 
150 below. Steevens gives sundry quotations to show that English imi- 
tators of the French sonneteers often called their mistresses "warriors" 
{guerrieres) ; but, as Schmidt remarks, these passages from Othello do 
not prove that S. was among them. 

My dear Othello ! " Exquisitely true to such a nature as Desde- 
raona's, her having no more words than this simple exclamation in 
which to express her full-hearted happiness ; while equally true to the 
glowing ardour of such a nature as Othello's is his giving way to that 
burst of eloquent tenderness which describes the overflow of his manly 
delight " (Clarke). 

179. Content. Happiness, joy ; as in 187 and 192 just below. Cf. 

Hen. r///.i.4.3: MA . . , . , .. 

^ u this night he dedicates 

To fair content and you," etc. 

197. Set. Changed by Pope to " let ;" but, as Malone suggests, set 
daunt the pegs may have been the musical technicality of the time. 

201. Honey. See R. and J. p. 177, note on Honey nurse. 

Steevens explains well desired as " much solicited by invitations," but 
it seems to be simply=well beloved, a favourite. Othello adds, " / have 
found great love amongst them." 

203. Out of fashion. " Out of conventional method " (Clarke). Cf. 
Hen V. iv. 1. 85. 

206. Master. That is, the captain (as we still use the term), not the 
pilot, as Johnson explains it. Cf. Temp. i. 1. 2, 8, 11, 13, ii. 2. 48, v. 1. 99, 
Macb. i. 3. 7, etc. 

211. Base men, etc. "The insolent contempt with which Iago treats 
Roderigo, not even caring to conceal the disdain he feels for his inferior- 
ity of intellect and weak credulity, is one of the peculiarities of his tact 
in swaying this poor dupe. It coolly assumes his own superiority as an 
incontrovertible fact, which imposes upon his victim, and tames him into 
unquestioning submission " (Clarke). 

212. A nobility, etc. Malone quotes Ham. iv. 5. 161 : " Nature is fine in 



ACT II. SCENE I. 



175 



love ;" and Steevens adds from Dryden : " Why love does all that 's 
noble here below." 

214. The court of guard. The place where the guard musters. Cf. B. 
and F., The Beggar's Bush : " Visit your courts of guard, view your muni- 
tion." 

217. Thus. That is, on thy lips, while thou art listening to a wiser 
man (Johnson). 

224. Favour. Personal appearance.- See on i. 3. 337 above. 

226. Conveniences. Attractions. 

227. Heave the gorge. Cf. Ham. v. 1. 207 : " my gorge rises at it." 
230. Pregnant. Probable, plausible ; as in M.for M. ii. 1. 23 : "'T is 

very pregnant," etc. 

232. Conscionable. Conscientious ; used by S. only here. 

234. Salt. Lustful, licentious ; as in M.for M. v. 1. 406, A. and C. ii. 
1. 21, etc. 

235. Slipper. " Slippery " (the reading of the later folios). The quar- 
tos have "subtle slippery." 

239. Green. Inexperienced ; as in K. John, ii. 1. 472, Ham. i. 3. 101, etc. 

243. Condition. Disposition, qualities. Cf. M. of V. i. 2. 143 : " the 
condition of a saint" 

246. Blessed pudding! Omitted in the quartos. 

249. Index. Prologue. The index was formerly placed at the begin- 
ning of books. See Ham. p. 236. 

256. Tainting. Discrediting, impugning. Cf. Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 55, etc. 

257. Course. The 1st quarto has " cause," which the Coll. MS. also 
gives. 

260. Sudden. Hasty, impetuous. See A. Y. L. p. 167. 

262. Whose qualification, etc. " Whose resentment shall not be so 
qualified or tempered as to be well tasted, as not to retain some bitter- 
ness'''' (Johnson). Cf. the use of qualified 'in ii. 3. 30 below. 

265. Prefer. Advance, promote. Cf. Hen. VIII. iv. 1. 102 : "Newly 
preferr'd from the king's secretary," etc. 

267. Prosperity. Success; as in L. L. L. v. 2. 87t • " " . 
perity," etc. 

271. His. "Even the word his here in refer 
naming him or giving him his title, has charac 
mouth as a piece of cool, off-hand, slighting mt 
calculated to confirm the impression he wishes t. 
erigo of hatred towards the Moor " (Clarke). 

274. Apt, etc. Natural and very credible. Cf. v. 2. 176 below: "apt 
and true." 

282. / do suspect, etc. See on i. 3. 378 above. For lusty the quartos 
have " lustful." 

Coleridge observes here : " This thought, originally by Iago's own 
confession a mere suspicion, is now ripening, and gnaws his base nature 
as his own * poisonous mineral' is about to gnaw the noble heart of his 
general." 

290. Whom I trash, etc. For trash the 1st quarto has "crush," and 
the other early eds. " trace." The emendation is Steevens's, and is gen- 



176 



NOTES. 



erally adopted. The repetition is quite in Shakespeare's manner. For 
trashy a hunter's term=check, keep back, see Temp. p. 113. Iago means 
that he restrains Roderigo like a hound for his too impatient pursuit of 
Desdemona. 

For the first trash Warb. substituted "brach" (=a worthless hound), 
which Coll. adopts. 

291. The putting 011. This refers to his picking a quarrel with Cassio, 
not to his "quick hunting" of Desdemona. 

292. On the hip. A term in wrestling, meaning to " have the advan- 
tage of." Cf. M. of V. i. 3. 47 : " If I can catch him once upon the hip ;" 
and Id, iv. 1. 334 : " Now, infidel, I have you on the hip." 

293. In the rank garb. In the coarsest fashion. For garb, cf. Ham. ii. 
2. 390 : " comply with you in this garb," etc. 

299. Knavery's plain face, etc. The full design of knavery is never 
visible until the moment comes for its being put in practice. " lago's 
complacent contemplation of his own villany, his willing self-admission of 
scoundrelism, are thoroughly those of a man whose pride of intellect is 
all-engrossing, and who has no one perception of moral beauty or dig- 
nity. He can even afford to allow that ' the Moor is of a free and open 
nature,' that he 'is of a constant, loving, noble nature,' even though he 
hates him, because he holds these as very poor and contemptible charac- 
teristics ; he carelessly admits the possibility of his having an adulterous 
liking for Desdemona, but chooses to ascribe it quite as much to desire 
of 'revenge' as preference; and remorselessly plans the ruin of Cassio 
from no stronger motive than bare suspicion and professional envy ; his 
sovereign thought, through all, being his own superiority of intellect, 
which can crush these simple good people from out his path at will, as 
if they were so many miserable worms " (Clarke). 

Scene II. — 3. Mere perdition. Absolute destruction. See J. C. p. 129, 
note on Merely upon myself. 

3. Put himself into triumph. Give himself up to exultation. Cf. Per. 
i. 3. 24 ; " puts himself unto the shipman's toil," etc. 

5. Addiction. Inclination; as in Hen. V. i. I. 54: " Since his addiction 
was to courses vain." 

7. Niiptial. The quartos have "nuptialls." See Temp. p. 143. 

8. Officer. The rooms in the castle where food and drink were pre- 
pared and kept. See Rich. II. p. 159. 

Scene III. — 1. Good Michael, etc. " These few words, introduced at 
this juncture, are illustrative of Shakespeare's peculiar skill in dramatic 
art. They seem insignificant ; but they give augmented effect to Othel- 
lo's subsequent anger at Cassio's having been betrayed not only into neg- 
lect of duty in preserving order, but into breach of order himself. They 
also serve to set well before the mind Othello's trust and confidence in 
Cassio as his chosen officer, and his liking for him as a personal friend ; 
calling him by his Christian name Alichael, which, after the one final im- 
pressive appeal to him, ' How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot ?' he 
never again uses " (Clarke). 



ACT II. SCENE III 177 

12. Cast. Dismissed, sent off. See on i. 1. 139 above. 

17. Right modest. " It is worthy of observation how wonderfully this 
brief morsel of dialogue is made to serve the dramatist's purpose in de- 
velopment of character. It shows the hard intellectual calculator, Iago, 
dallying with unhallowed suggestions, and presenting them to the thought 
of the man whom he hopes to corrupt and sway to his purpose; while the 
imagination of even the sensualist, Cassio, is held within bounds by the 
more potent influence of Desdemona's pure immaculacy. It is the coun- 
teracting power of virtue against vice; the might of innocence over guilt; 
and, while depicting forcibly the natures of the two men, indirectly de- 
notes that of the woman" (Clarke). 

21. Stoup. Cup, flagon. See Ham. p. 260. 

30. Craftily qualified. Slyly diluted (that is, by Cassio himself). 

31. Here. That is, in my head ; as a gesture shows. 

37. Dislikes. Displeases, is distasteful to. For the impersonal use, 
see R. and J. p. 165. Cf. Gr. 297. 

43. Caroused. Drunk. Cf. Ham. v. 2. 300 : " The queen carouses to 
thy fortune, Hamlet," etc. 

44. Pottle-deep. To the bottom of the pottle or tankard (originally a 
measure of two quarts). Cf. M. W.\\. 1. 223 and iii. 5. 30. We find 
pottle-pot in 2 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 83 and v. 3. 68. 

45. Swelling. Cf. Hen. V.v. 1. 15 : "here he comes, swelling like a 
turkey-cock." 

46. That hold, etc. That is, are sensitive with regard to their honour, 
or quick to take offence at a supposed insult. 

47. The very elements. " As quarrelsome as the discordia semina re- 
rum ; as quick in opposition as fire and water " (Johnson). Cf. Rich. II. 

' 5' DD ■ "Methinks King Richard and myself should meet 

With no less terror than the elements 
Of fire and water, when their thundering shock 
At meeting tears the cloudy cheeks of heaven." 

Schmidt makes elements — "a. pure extract, as it were, the very quintes- 
sence of the isle." 

52. If consequence, etc. If the result do but justify my expectation. 
" Every scheme subsisting only in the imagination may be termed a 
dream " (Johnson). 

54. Fore. Not fore. See Hen. V. p. 155. 

A rouse. A bumper, or too deep a draught. See Ham. p. 181. 

58. Canakin. A diminutive of can; used by S. only here. Steevens 
cites Barclay, Ship of Fools : "some quafes ye canakin halfe 

69. Exquisite. The 1st quarto and some modern eds. ha- 
Cf. B. and F., The Captam: 

" Lod. Are the Englishmen 
Such stubborn drinkers? 

" Piso. not a leak at sea 

Can suck more liquor ; you shall have their children 
Christen' d in mull'd sack, and at five years old 
Able to knock a Dane down." 

On the intemperance of the Danes, see Ham- pp. 182, 193. 

M 



178 



NOTES, 



72. Almain. German (Fr. A Hem and). Cf. Drayton, Polyolbion : "Of 

Almains, and to them for their stout captain gave," etc. We find also 

the forms Aleman and Alman. Cf. Holland, Ammianus Marcellimis : 

" Chonodomarius and Vestralpus, Aleman kings ;" and Owen, Epigrams : 

"'T is good to be and have, a t Greek, I think, 

Once said; an Alman added, and to drink." 

So Germany was called Almany ; as in Harrington's Ariosto : "And 
dwelt in Almany." 

77. King Stephen, etc. These stanzas are from an old song, " Take 
thy old cloak about thee," which may be found in Percy's Reliqnes. Cf. 
Temp. iv. 1. 221 : "O King Stephano ! O peer !" 

80. Town. Lout, stupid fellow." Cf. Per. iv. 6. 19 : " both lord and 
lown." Loon (see Macb. v. 3. 11) is the same word. 

in. Equinox. Equal, counterpart ; the only instance of the word in S. 

114. On. See Gr. 180. 

117. He 7/ watch, etc. That is, he will keep awake while the clock 
strikes two rounds, or twenty-four hours. S. uses horologe nowhere else. 
Cf. Drayton, Moses: "The cock, the country horologe," etc. 

127. Ingraft. Ingrafted, inveterate. Cf. J. C. ii. 1. 184 ; " the ingrafted 
love he bears to Caesar," etc. 

128. Action. Metrically a trisyllable. Cf. patience in 345 below. 
134. Tzviggen, Covered with twigs, or wicker-work. The quartos 

have " wicker." 

137. Mazzard. Head. See Ham. p. 261. 

143. Diablo! The devil ! "Appropriately put into the mouth of the 
Italian Iago " (Clarke). 

149. All sense of place, Hanmer's correction of the " all place of 
sense " of the early eds. 

152. .Turnd Turks. Set Ham. p. 228. 

155. For. The 1st quarto has "forth," which some editors prefer. 
Cf. Ham. 1. 3. 20 : " He may not . . . Carve for himself" (that is, indulge 
himself, do as he pleases). 

158. From her propriety. That is, out of herself. Cf. T. A r . v. I. 150 : 
" That makes thee strangle thy propriety" (disavow thy individuality). 

162. In quarter. In peace, or concord (Schmidt). Cf. C. of E. ii. 1. 
108: "keep fair quarter with his bed;" and K. JoJm, v. 5. 20: "keep 
good quarter and good care to-night." Some make it = 011 our station, 
at our posts. 

163. Devesting. Undressing. 

164. Planet. For the supposed planetary influence, cf. Ham. i. 1. 162 : 
" no planets strike ;" and see note in our ed. p. 177. 

167. Peevish odds. Silly quarrel. ¥ or peevish, see Hen. V. p. 171. 
170. Are thus forgot. Have thus forgotten yourself. See Gr. 295. 
172. Were wont be civil. For the omission of to, see Gr. 349. 
73. Stillness. Cf. Hen. V. iii. 1. 4: "As modest stillness and hu- 
mility." 

175. Censure. Judgment. See Ham. p. 190 or Macb. p. 251. 

176, Unlace. Slacken, or loosen; or, perhaps, strip off its ornaments 
(Johnson). Schmidt gives the latter explanation (^disgrace). 



ACT II. SCENE III 179 

177. Spend your rich opinion. Throw away or squander your valuable 
reputation. 

179. Hurt to danger. Dangerously wounded. 

181. Something now offends. Now somewhat pains. For the ad- 
verbial use of something, see Gr. 68. 

184. Self-charity. Charity to one's self, care of one's self. 

187. My blood, etc. "My angry impulse begins to prevail over my 
steadier sense and judgment " (Clarke). 

188. Collied. Obscured ; literally, blackened as with coal or smut. 
See M. N. D. p. 129. 

193. Approved in this offence. Proved to have been engaged in this 
offence. Cf. M. of V. iii. 2. 79 : " approve it with a text," etc. 

197. Manage. Bring about, set on foot. Cf. the use of the noun in R. 
and J. iii. 1. 148 : " The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl." 

198. The court and guard of safety. "The very spot and guarding- 
place of safety " (Clarke). Theo. plausibly reads "of guard," as in ii. 1. 
214 above. 

199. Monstrous. A trisyllable, as in Macb. iii. 6. 8. Gr. 477. 

200. Affined. Influenced by any tie or affinity. See on i. 1. 39 above. 
LeagiSd is Pope's correction of the " league " of the early eds. 

201. Deliver. Speak. See on i. 3. 90 above. 

210. Execute tipon him. " Wreak his anger upon him " (Schmidt). 

211. Entreats his pause. Begs him to stop. Cf. Ham. iii. 1. 68: 
"Must give us pause," etc. 

212. Myself etc. " Iago's thoroughly lying account of the incidents 
that occurred, with his art in seeming to 'mince' the 'matter' and 
make 'it light to Cassio,'-while in fact contriving to give all possible 
heightening touches of his misdeed, is most skilfully managed in this 
speech. It will be remembered that far from pursuing Roderigo and re- 
turning to the scene of the conflict, Iago never stirs from the spot, but 
remains to direct the movements of his puppets, and prompt them in 
the parts which he has previously designed that they should perform ; 
and that instead of Cassio's having been ' high in oath,' he has-given vent 
to nothing more offensive in speech than the threats, ' I '11 beat the 
knave into a twiggen bottle ' and ' I '11 knock you o'er the mazzard ' " 
(Clarke). 

2i6. For that. Because. See on i. 3. 267 above. 

234. Sweeting. Cf. T. of S. iv. 3. 36 : " What, sweeting, all amort ?" 
T. N. ii. 3. 43 : " Trip no further, pretty sweeting," etc. 

236. Lead him off Malone may be right in thinking this 
direction that has got into the text. W. remarks that Othel 
have been more likely to say, " Lead him aivay." Cf. 2 Hen. V. 
"thrice I led him off." 

249. Sense. Sensibility, feeling. The quartos have " offence, 

254. Cast. Dismissed, cashiered. See on i. 1. 139 above. 

259. Slight. The folio reading; the quartos have "light." 

260. Speak parrot. Talk nonsense ; like discoitrse fustian just below. 
264. What. Who ; as in Hen. V. iv. 3. 18 : " What 's he that wishes 

so ?" Gr. 254. 



i8o NOTES. 

271. Pleasance. " Pleasure " (the quarto reading). Cf. P. P. 158: 
" Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care." 

276. Unperfectness. Imperfection ; used by S. only here. Cf. imper- 
fect in Sonn. 23. 1 and Ps. cxxxix. 16. 

278. Moraler. Moralizer. Gr. 443. Cf. /;/tf;vz/= moralize in A. Y. L. 
ii. 7. 29. 

283. Hydra. For the allusion, cf. 1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 25 and Cor. iii. 1. 93. 
The word is an adjective in 2 Hen. IV. iv. 2. 38 : " this Hydra son of 
war." 

285. By and by. Presently; as often. See Hen. V. p. 155. So pres- 
ently = immediately ; as in v. 2. 52 below. See Much Ado, p. 121. 

286. Unblest. Accursed ; as in v. 1. 34 below. 

290. Approved. Proved. Cf. 193 above. 

291, A time. The quartos have "some time;" and W. conjectures 
"one time." A is sometimes = one. See Ham. p. 274, or R. and J. 
p. 177. 

295. Denotement. Denoting, indication. The early eds. have " deuote- 
ment" or "devotement." Theo. made the change, "blunderingly" in 
Schmidt's opinion ; but it is improbable that S. should have written 
"devoted himself to the devotement." We find denote ( = mark, indi- 
cate) in iii. 3. 416 and iv. 1. 265 below. 

Parts. Qualities. Cf. i. 3. 252 above. 

300. Splinter. Bind up with splints ; the only sense in which S. uses 
the verb. Cf. Rich. III. ii. 2. 1 18 : 

"The broken rancour of your iiigh-swoln hearts, 
But lately splinter* d, knit, and join'd together." 

301. Lay. Wager, stake ; as in 2 Hen, VI. v. 2. 27 and Cymb. i. 4. 159. 
Crack. Breach. Cf. L. L. L. v. 2. 415 : "My love to thee is sound, 

sans crack or flaw." 

312. What V. Who is. See on 264 above. 

313. Free. Innocent, harmless. See Ham. p. 213, and cf. iii. 3. 255 
below : "hold her free." 

314. Probal. A word found nowhere else. It may be an abbreviation 
of probable ox provable. Coll. compares miseral for miserable (Paynter) 
and varial for va?'iable (Barnaby Rich). 

316. Inclining. Ready, favourably disposed. 

317. Frttitful. Bountiful, generous. Cf. Hen. VIII.\.$. 56: "A hand 
as fruitful as the land that feeds us." 

318. As the free elements. Out of which all things are produced. See 
Hen. V. p. 169. 

324. Function. " Operation of the mental faculties" (Schmidt); as in 
Macb. i. 3. 140 : " function Is smother'd in surmise." 

325. Parallel. Coinciding with his wish or purpose. 

327. Put on. Instigate. Cf. ii. 1. 291 above, and see Ham. p. 257. 

328. Suggest. Tempt. See Rich. II. pp. 153, 198. 

332. Pestilence. Poison. 

333. Repeals. Strives to restore him to his place ; literally, recalls. 
See J. C. p. 157, note on The repealing of my banish 1 d brother. 

340. Cry. Pack. Cf. Cor. iii. 3. 120 : " You common cry of curs !" 



A CT III. SCENE I. 1 8 1 

345. Patience, A trisyllable. Gr. 479. 

351. Though other things, etc. " ' Although our other plans are grow- 
ing to maturity, yet the fruits of our scheme for the removal of Cassio, 3.3 
it first bore promising blossom, will naturally first ripen.' Iago is trying 
to inspire Roderigo with patience for the ripening of his plan against 
Desdemona by bidding him remember that meanwhile his plan against 
Cassio is succeeding " (Clarke). Johnson- explains the passage thus : 
" Of many different things, all planned with the same art and promoted 
with the same diligence, some must succeed sooner than others, by the 
order of nature. Everything cannot be done at once ; we must proceed 
by the necessary gradation. We are not to despair of slow events any 
more than of tardy fruits, while the causes are in regular progress, and 
the fruits grow fair against the sun.'''' 

353. By the mass. Changed in the folio to "In troth." See p. 11 
above. 

360. Apart. Aside. See Ham. p. 242, and cf. iv. 1. 67 below. 

361. Jump. Just, exactly. Cf. Ha7n. i. 1. 65 : "jump ("just " in folio) 
at this dead hour;" and Id. v. 2. 386 : "jump upon this bloody ques- 
tion." Cf. the use of the vexhjump in i. 3. 5 above. 



ACT III. 

Scene I. — 1. Content. Reward, pay. Cf. Rich. III. iii. 2. 113 : " Come 
the next Sabbath, and I will content you," etc. 

2. Bid good morrow. It was the custom for friends to serenade a new- 
married couple on the morning after their marriage, or to bid them good 
mo?'row by a morning song. See R. and J. p. 193, note on Hunts -tip. 
Cf. Milton, HAH. 45 (referring to the lark) : 

'* Then to come, in spite of sorrow, 
And at my window bid good morrow." 

3. Naples. " The Neapolitans have a singularly drawling nasal twang- 
in the utterance of their dialect ; and Shylock tells of ' when the bagpipe 
sings i' the nose' " (Clarke). For speak the Coll. MS. has "squeak." 

v 10. For love's sake. The 1st quarto has "of all loves," for which see 
M. A r . D.y. 154. 

20. Quillets. Quibbles, subtleties. See Ham. p. 262. 

25. Seem to. A colloquial periphrasis. Cf. M.N. D. iii. 1. 19 : "let 
the prologue seem to say ;" M. of V. ii. 4. 11 : "it shall seem to signify," 
etc. 

26. Good my friend. Cf. i. 3. 52 above : " Good your grace," etc. 
Gr. 13. 

In happy time. Just in time. See R. and y. p. 195. 

32. Access. Accented by S. on the last syllable, except in Ham. ii. I. 
no. Gr. 490. 

33. Mean. Often used by S. in the singular, though oftener in the 
plural. Cf. W. T. iv. 4. 89, R. and J. iii. 3. 45, v. 3. 240, etc. 



182 NOTES. 

34. Converse. Conversation ; as in Ham. ii. 1. 42 : "your party in 
converse," etc. 

37. A Florentine. That is, even a Florentine. Iago was a Venetian ; 
as is evident from iii. 3. 201, 202 and v. 1. 89 fol. 

39. Yonr displeasure. That is, the displeasure you have incurred from 
Othello (Steevens). For sure the quartos have " soone." 

43. Affinity. Family connection ; used by S. only here. 

Wholesome. Sound, reasonable. See Ham. p. 230. 

46. To take, etc. This line is not in the folios. 

50. Desdemona. The folios have " Desdemon " here, as in five other 
passages. K. takes the ground that the contraction is one of familiar 
tenderness ; but, if so, S. would not have put it in Cassio's mouth. It is 
probably a mere transcriber's or printer's error.* 

51. Bestow you. Conduct you to a place. See Ham. pp. 212, 240. 

52. /am, etc. Omitted in 1st quarto. 

Scene II. — 2. Senate. The quartos have "state." 

3. Works. See on i. 1. 1 (p. 154) above. 

6. We '11. The reading of the 3d folio. The 1st has " Well," the 2d 
11 Weel," and the quartos " We." 

Scene III. — 3. Warrant. The quartos have " know." 

4. Case. The quarto reading ; the folios have " cause." 

10. I know V. As in the folios ; the quartos read "O, sir, I thank you." 
12. Strangeness. Distant behaviour. The quartos have "strangest." 
Cf. V. and A. 310: "She puts on outward strangeness, seems unkind," 
etc. 

14. That policy, etc. "He may either of himself think it politic to 
keep me out of office so long, or he may be satisfied with such slight 
reasons, or so many accidents may make him think my readmission at 
that time improper, that I may be quite forgotten " (Johnson). Clarke's 
explanation of 15, 16 is perhaps better : " Or be sustained by such 
trivial occurrences, or be renewed by such unforeseen circumstances." 

19. Doubt. Suspect, fear. See Ham. pp. 187, 202, 220. 

20. Assure thee. Assure thyself, be assured. Cf. iv. 2. 198 below. 

23. Watch him tame. Alluding to the practice of taming hawks by 
keeping them from sleep. Cf. T. and C. iii. 2. 46 : "you must be 
watched ere you be made tame, must you?" Steevens cites Cartwright, 

Lady Errant: .. m . 

y we 11 keep you, 

As they do hawks, watching until you leave 
Your wildness ; M 

Monsieur D* Olive : "your only way to deal with women and parrots is 
to keep- them waking ;" and Sir W. Davenant, Just Italian: " They 've 
watch'd my hardy violence so tame." 

* K. strangely overlooks this passage in his note on iii. 3. 55. He says that Desde- 
mon is used in five passages (iii. 3. 55. iv. 2. 40, v. 2. 25, 203, 281), four times by Othello 
and once by Gratiano. In all these his theory is plausible enough, but the present 
passage is fatal to it. The error is not corrected' in his 2d ed. 



ACT III. SCENE III 183 

24. Shrift. Confessional. Cf. R. aiid J. ii. 4. 192, ii. 5. 68, etc. 

28. Give thy cause away. That is, give it up. 

39. Steal. The 1st quarto has "sneake." 

47. His present reconciliation take. "Accept the submission which he 
makes in order to be reconciled " (Johnson). Warb. would read " make." 
Schmidt explains reconciliation as " restoration to favour." 

49. dinning. " Knowledge, forethought " (Schmidt). Cf. T.andC.v. 
5.41 and T. of A. v. 4. 28. Cf. also the use of the adjective=knowing ; 
as in T. of S. ii. 1. 56 : " Cunning in music and the mathematics," etc. 

52. Sooth. In sooth, truly. See M. N. D. p. 153, note on Good troth. 

54. To suffer. The 1st quarto has "I suffer." 

66. Their. Rowe's emendation for the "her" of the early eds. The 
Coll. MS. has "our," and Sr. (2d ed.) "the." 

67. Check. Rebuke. See on i. 1. 138 above. 

70. Mami?iering. Hesitating ; used by S. nowhere else. The 1st 
quarto has "muttering." Steevens cites the comedy of A colastus, 1540 : 
" I stand in doubt, or in a mamorynge between hope and fear ;" and 
Drant, Horace, sat. ii. 3 : " then mameryng he doth doute." Malone adds 
from Lyly, Euphues . " neither stand in a mamering, whether it be best 
to depart or not." 

71. That came, etc. See on i. 2. 52 above. 

72. Spoke. For this form, see Gr. 343. 

77. As. "The if is implied in the subjunctive" (Gr. 107). For the 
omission of to with wear, see Gr. 349. 

79. Peculiar. Private, one's own ; as in iv. 1. 62 below. 

82. Poise. Weight. Cf. Lear, ii. 1. 122 : " Occasions, noble Glouces- 
ter, of some poise," etc. Clarke thinks it also includes the idea of "nice 
balance, careful adjustment, as by scales." 

90. Wretch. Sometimes used as a term of tenderness blended with 
pity. " It expresses the utmost degree of amiableness, joined with an 
idea which perhaps all tenderness includes, of feebleness, softness, and 
want of protection" (Johnson). Cf. R. and J. i. 3. 44 : "The pretty 
wretch left crying," etc. Theo. changed the word to "wench." 

106. By heaven, etc. The folio reads " Alas, thou ecchos't me." The 
"alas" was of course put in to fill the gap made by the omission of the 
oath. 

113. Purse. Wrinkle. In M. of V. i. 3. 175 it means to put in a purse ; 
and in A. and C. ii. 2. 192, pursed /// — gained possession of. 

115. Conceit. Conception, idea. Cf. the use of the verb (^conceives, 
imagines) in 149 below. 

118. For. Because. See on i. 3. 267 above. 

123. Delations. The 1st quarto has " denotements ;" the 1st folio and 
2d and 3d quartos, " dilations ;" the later folios, " cold delations." Close 
delations — secret accusations, hidden intimations. For close, see Macb. 
pp. 223, 246. Delations is not found elsewhere in S. Sir Henry Wotton, 
in his Reliquice Wottoniana:, 1651, speaking of the Inquisitori di Stati at 
Venice, says that they "receive all secret delations in matter of practice 
against the Republick." 

Working from the heart, etc. " Either ' working from the heart that 



X 8 4 NOTES. 

cannot control its passion of generous indignation,' or ' working from the 
heart that passionate impulse cannot move to speak out unadvisedly" 1 
(Clarke). 

124. For. As for, with respect to. See Gr. 149. 

127. Seem none. That is, not seem honest men ; as Malone and Clarke 
explain it. Johnson makes it = "no longer seem, or bear the shape of 
men" 

130. Yet there 's more. There 's yet more. Cf. " yet not" = not yet, 
and see R. and J. p. 165. Gr. 76. 

135. To that all slaves are free to. That is, to that which all slaves are 
free to do or not to do; or we may say that free is = not bound. Cf. 

J ' " Every good servant does not all commands: 

No bond but to do just ones." 

139. But some uncleanly apprehensions, etc. " That some injurious sus- 
picions will not occasionally enter into it, keep court there for judging 
others, and sit side by side, as on a law bench, with more legitimate med- 
itations " (Clarke). Leets and law-days mean the same. Steevens quotes 
Jacob, Law Diet.: " Leet is otherwise called a law-day." In the only 
other instance of the word in S. {T.ofS. ind. 2. 89 : " present her at the 
leet") it means a court-leet. Cf. Bullokar, English Expositor, 1616 : " A 
leet is a court or law-day, holden commonly every half year." On this 
passage cf. R. of L. 853 : 

u But no perfection is so absolute 
That some impurity doth not intrude." 

For the legal image Malone compares Sonn. 30. 1 : 

" When to the sessions of sweet silent thought 
I summon up remembrance of things past." 

145. Though I perchance, etc. " Though I perhaps am mistaken, led 
into an error by my natural disposition, which is apt to shape faults that 
have no existence " (Malone). Clarke believes that though is here =" inas- 
much as, since ;" but this is not absolutely necessary. As he himself re- 
marks, "the confused and imperfect construction in this speech is won- 
derfully managed, to give the effect of Iago's adoption of a hesitating, un- 
willing manner ; half expressing, half suppressing his suggestions, and 
whetting his victim's anxiety to hear more by bidding him desire to hear 
no more." Malone observes : " The adversative particle though does 
not indeed appear very proper ; but in an abrupt and studiously clouded 
sentence like the present, where more is meant to be conveyed than meets 
the ear, strict propriety may well be dispensed with. The word perchance, 
if strongly marked in speaking, would sufficiently show that the speak- 
er did not suppose himself vicious in his guess.' 1 '' For that your zvisdom 
yet the 1st quarto has " I intreate you then," which perhaps better suits 
the broken character of the sentence. Possibly, in revising the play, S. 
made the change to the more logical form of the folio, and overlooked 
the though, which does not suit that form so well. 

149. Conceits. See on 115 above. The first quarto has "coniects," 
and Warb. reads " conjects." 



ACT III. SCENE III. 185 

151. Scattering and unsure observance. Random and uncertain obser- 
vation. Cf. T. N. ii. 3. 50 : " What 's to come is still unsure," etc. 

155. Good name, etc. Malone suggests that S. may have had in mind 
Proverbs, xxii. 1. 

158. 'Twas mine, etc. The same editor cites Horace, Sat. ii. 2 : 

" Nunc ager Umbreni sub nomine, nuper Ofelli 
Dictus, erit nulli proprius, sed cedet in usum 
Nunc mihi, nunc alii ;" 

thus translated by Drant, 1567 : 

" Now Umbrens grounde, of late Ofells, 
(A thing not very stable) 
Now myne, now thine, so muste we take 
The worlde as variable.'' 

160. Not enriches. Cf. Temp. ii. I. 121 : "I not doubt ;" Id. v. 1. 38 : 
" Whereof the ewe not bites," etc. Gr. 305. W. conjectures "naught " 
for not. 

162. Thoughts. The first quarto has " thought." 

166. Green-eyed. Cf. M. of V. iii. 2. no : "green-eyed jealousy." For 
green applied to eyes in a complimentary sense, see R. and J. p. 198. 

Mock. Changed by Hanmer to " make," which Schmidt thinks "may 
be* right." Clarke says : " Here mock bears the sense of disdain, spurn, 
tear wrathfully, even while feeding on. . . . Jealousy, even while greedily 
devouring scraps of evidence, and stray tokens of supposed guilt, bitterly 
scorns them, and stands self-contemned for feeding on them." Mason 
cites in confirmation of " make " iii. 4. 160 below : 

"'t is a monster 
Begot upon itself, born on itself;" 

and Massinger, The Picture : 

"why should I nourish 
A fury here, and with imagiri d food, 
Holding no real ground on which to raise 
A building of suspicion she was ever 
Or can be false?" 

Steevens remarks : " It is known that the tiger kind have gree?i eyes, 
and always play with the victim to their hunger before they devour it. 
Ci.R.andL. 554: 

'Yet, foul, night-waking cat, he doth but dally, 
While in his hold-fast foot the weak mouse panteth.' 

Thus a jealous husband, who discovers no certain cause why he may be 
divorced, continues to sport with the woman whom he suspects, and, on 
more certain evidence, determines to punish." 

170. Strongly. The folios have "soundly," and the Coll. MS. has 
"fondly." 

172. Poor and content, etc. Malone quotes Dorastus and Faun via (the 
novel on which W. T. is founded), 1592 : "We are rich, in that we are 
poor with content." 

173. Fineless. Infinite, boundless; the only instance of the word in 
S. Fory£;/^=end, see Ham. p. 262. Pope substituted "endless " here. 



iSG NOTES. 

182. Exsufflicate. "Probably synonymous to blown=empty, unsub- 
stantial, frivolous" (Schmidt). This seems better than to make it=con- 
temptible, abominable (from Low Latin, exsufflare, to spit upon), as Nares 
does. Malone says : " Whether our poet had any authority for the word, 
which I think is used in the sense of swollen, and appears to have been 
formed from sufflatus, I am unable to ascertain." The early eds. have 
" exufflicate " (" exufflicated " in 4th folio). 

183. Matching thy inference. That is, such as you have described (in 
169, 170 above). 

186. Where virtue is, etc. "An action in itself indifferent grows vir- 
tuous by its end and application " (Johnson). The 2d and later folios 
have "most virtuous." 

188. Doubt. Suspicion; as in 417 below: "a shrewd doubt," etc. 
Revolt is often used of inconstancy in love ; as in K. John, iii. 1. 322, R. 
and J. iv. 1. 58, Cymb. i. 6. 112, iii. 4. 57, etc. 

200. Self-bounty. Inherent generosity (Warb.).- 

204. Leave V. The reading of the 1st quarto and the folios ; the 2d 
and 3d quartos have "leave." On the other hand, the 2d and 3d quar- 
tos have keep V (or " keepe 't"), the folios "kept," and the 1st quarto 
" keepe." 

206. She did deceive her father, etc. " This and the following argument 
of Iago ought to be deeply impressed on every reader. Deceit and false- 
hood, whatever conveniences they may for a time promise or produce, 
are in the sum of life obstacles to happiness. Those who profit by the 
cheat distrust the deceiver, and the act by which kindness is sought puts 
an end to confidence " (Johnson). Cf. Clarke's note on And so she did: 
"In this little speech of four monosyllabic words is contained the moral 
of Desdemona's fate. Had Othello been able to refute as a foul calumnv 
this insinuated truth of Iago's, the villain's scheme must have come to 
naught at once. But, unhappily, Desdemona's timidity has led her to 
conceal from her father her love for the Moor by affecting to dread him ; 
and this former deviation from strict honesty is now enabling a traitor to 
undermine her husband's faith in her honour. O, just and wise, and most 
moral Shakespeare !" See also p. 29 above. 

210. Seel. See on i. 3. 268 above. Close as oak— close as the grain of 
oak (Steevens). 

212. Beseech you of your pardon. Cf. M. N. D. iii. 1. 185 : "I shall de- 
sire you of more acquaintance ;" Hen. V. iii. 3. 45 : "whom of succours 
we entreated ;" Spenser,^. Q. ii. 9. 42 : " If it be I, of pardon I you pray," 
etc. Gr. 174. 

219. Issues. Conclusions. On reach, cf. T. and C. iv. 4. no : 

"the moral of my wit 
Is 'plain and true;' there 's all the reach of it." 

222. Success. Consequence ; that which succeeds or follows. Cf. "bad 
success " in 3 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 46 and T. and C. ii. 2. 117. See also J. C. 
p. 151. 

223. Worthy. The 1st quarto has "trusty." 

224. I see you are mov'd. "The art with which this wretch contrives 



ACT III. SCENE III. 187 

to exasperate the pangs of the wound he is inflicting, affecting to com- 
miserate while he is stabbing deeper and deeper, torturing the brave nat- 
ure by noticing its ill-concealed anguish, together with the efforts made 
by the courageous man to repress the writhings of his pierced soul, are 
surely unsurpassed in passionate composition " (Clarke). 

227. Ei'riiig. Straying, wandering. See i. 3. 351 above: "an erring 
barbarian ;" and cf. i. 3. 62, 100. 

230. Complexion. Alluding to the fair skin of Desdemona in contrast 
with the dark Moorish skin of Othello, and perhaps also, as Clarke sug- 
gests, to the temperament of the Italians in comparison with that of the 
Moors. Cf. Ham. p. 193. 

232. Foh ! The quartos have " Fie." 

Rank. " Morbid " (Schmidt). Johnson says : " A rank will is self-will 
overgrown and exuberant." 

234. Position. Assertion. Cf. ii. 1. 230 above, and T. and C. iii. 3. 112. 

236. Recoiling. Going back, reverting. Cf. W. T. i. 2. 154: "me- 
thoughts I did recoil Twenty-three years," etc. 

237. Fall to. Come to, begin. Cf. Ham. v. 2. 216 : "before you fall to 
play," etc. Match— compare ; as in T. and C. i. 3. 194, R. and J. ii. 
prol. 4. 

238. Happily. Haply; as often. See I/am.ip'p. 175, 208. 

240. Set on thy wife, etc. " In this brief speech of Othello's the dram- 
atist has wonderfully combined the native nobleness of the speaker with 
the meanness inevitably supervening from jealousy. The nature of the 
man revolts from having the probabilities of his chosen wife's fall dis- 
cussed by the gross lips of Iago, and he abruptly dismisses him ; but the 
vitiating poison of jealousy having once been instilled, the moral dignity 
that has already taken one step in degradation condescends to desire him 
to watch, and to set on his wife to observe " (Clarke). 

246. Though it be fit. The reading of the 1st quarto ; the folios have 
" Although 'tis fit," and the other quartos "And though tis fit." 

247. Tor, sure, etc. "Observe again how the liar can treacherously 
eulogize when it may serve his purpose [cf. ii. 3. 109 above]. In the 
present instance, he knows that at this particular juncture praise of 
Cassio would be specially calculated to injure instead of benefit him with 
Othello ; and, moreover, the mention of Cassio's place serves to suggest 
the idea that Iago himself may fill it — a suggestion adopted and acted 
upon, as is seen by Othello's words at the close of this scene, * Now art 
thou my lieutenant ' " (Clarke). 

249. His means. That is, " whether he thinks his best means, his most 
powerful interest, is by the solicitation of your lady" (Johnson). 

250. Strain his enter taimnent. Urge his reinstatement ; " press hard 
his readmission to his office " (Johnson). For entertainment as a military 
term (^service), cf. A. W. iii. 6. 13, iv. 1. 17, Cor. iv. 3. 49, and A. and C. 
iv. 6. 16. 

251. Importunity. The Var. of 1821 has "opportunity." 

255. Free. Free from guilt. See A. Y. I. p. 165. 

256. Gwernment. Self-control ; as in R. of L. 1400, I Hen. IV. i. 2. 
31, iii. I. 184, etc. 



1 88 NOTES. 

259. Learned. Experienced (Warb.); intelligent (Schmidt). 

260. Haggard. A haggard was a wild, untrained hawk. See Much 
Ado, p. 140. S. uses the word adjectively nowhere else. 

261. Jesses. Leathern or silken straps attached to the foot of the hawk, 
by which the falconer held her. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. vi. 4. 19 : 

"That like an Hauke, which feeling her selfe freed 
From bels and jesses which did let her flight" 

(where let— hinder). 

262. Let her down the wind. " The falconers always let the hawk fly 
against the wind ; if she flies with the wind behind her, she seldom re- 
turns. If therefore a hawk was for any reason to be dismissed, she was 
let down the wind, and from that time shifted for herself and preyed at 
fortune" (Johnson). Percy quotes Burton, Anat. of Melan.: " As a long- 
winged hawke, when he is first whistled off the fist, mounts aloft," etc. Cf. 
B, and F., Bonduca : 

" he that basely 
Whistled his honour off to the wind." 

263. For. Because. See on i. 3. 267 above. 

Black. Not to be taken too literally. It is often opposed to fair. Cf. 
T. G. of V. v. 2. 12 : "Black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes." 
See also Much Ado, iii. 1. 63, etc. 

264. Parts. Gifts. See M. N. D. p. 164. Cf. i. 3. 252 above. 

265. Chamber ers. " Men of intrigue," according to Steevens; but more 
likely, as Schmidt defines it="men conversant with the arts of peace, 
opposed to soldiers" like carpet-monger in Much Ado, v. 2. 32. Cf. the 
Countess of Pembroke's Antonius, 1590 : " Fal'n from a souldier to a 
chamberer." 

274. Prerogative. " Privileged, exempt from certain evils" (Schmidt). 
Malone wished to read "more " for less. 

276. This forked plague. The horns of the cuckold. Cf. W. T. i. 2. 
186 and T. and C. i. 2. 178. Malone cites one of Sir John Harrington's 
Epigrams : 

"Actason guiltless unawares espying 
Naked Diana bathing in her bowre, 
Was plagu'd with homes; his dogs did him devoure ; 
Wherefore take heed, ye that are curious, prying, 
With some such forked plague you be not smitten, 
And in your foreheads see your faults be written." 

277. Quicken. That is, begin to live. Cf. iv. 2. 66 below: "That 
quicken even with blowing," etc, 

Desdemona comes. The quarto reading ; the folios have " Looke where 
she comes." 

280. Generous. Noble ; as in M.for M. iv. 6. 13 : " The generous and 
gravest citizens ;" Ham. i. 3. 74: "most select and generous," etc. Cf. 
the Latin generosus. 

281. Attend. Await. Cf. M. W. i. 1. 279 : "The dinner attends you, 
sir," etc. 

287. Napkin. Handkerchief. Cf. 306 below, and see A. Y.L. p. 190. 
292. A hundred times. This is apparently inconsistent with the brief 



ACT III. SCENE III. 189 

time that has elapsed since the beginning of the drama; but it is really 
an illustration of what Furness {Hamlet, vol. i. p. xv.) calls the poet's 
" two series of times, the one suggestive and illusory, and the other \i^i- 
ble and explicitly indicated." Halpin calls them the protractive series 
and the accelerating series ; and Christopher North describes them as 
Shakespeare's " two clocks." Clarke remarks here : " In hardly any 
play is our dramatist's system of simultaneously indicated long time and 
short time more visibly and skilfully sustained than in Othello. He had 
to give the brief effect of recent marriage, consequent upon the elope- 
ment and secret espousals which occur in the opening of the play ; and 
he had also to give the lengthened effect of conjugal union, in order to 
add to the tragic impression of broken wedded faith and destroyed wed- 
ded happiness. To produce the former effect, he has made but one 
night elapse since the arrival of the wedded pair in Cyprus and the cele- 
bration of their nuptials ; to produce the latter effect, he throws in occa- 
sional touches that indicate a longer period." 

294. Should. The Var. of 1821 has "would." 

295. Reserves. Preserves, keeps. Cf. Sonn. 32. 7 : " Reserve them for 
my love, not for their rhyme ;" Per. iv. 1. 40 : "reserve That excellent 
complexion," etc. 

296. To 1 en out. Copied; as in iii. 4. 179, iv. 1. 141 fol. below. Cf. Hol- 
land's Pliny : " Nicophanes [a famous painter] gave his mind wholly to 
antique pictures, partly to exemplifie and take out their patterns ;" and 
Middleton, Women Beware, etc. : 

"she intends 
To take out other works in a new sampler." 

299. Fantasy. Fancy, whim. For the different senses of the word in 
S., see Ham. pp. 171, 246. The 1st quarto reads here: "I nothing 
know, but for his," etc. 

312. To the advantage. Opportunely (Johnson). 

313. Wench. Cf. v. 2. 271 below, and see Temp. p. 115. 

316. Import. Importance ; as in T. of S. iii. 2. 104, 1 Hen. VI. i. 1. 91, etc. 

318. lack. Miss. See A. Y. L. p. 187. 

319. Acknowji. The reading of the folios and the 2d quarto ; the 1st 
and 3d quartos have " not you known on 't. The meaning is, " do not 
confess to the knowledge of it " (Schmidt). Cf. acknowledge. Steevens 

- cites Golding's Ovid: " Howbeit I durst not be so bolde of hope ac- 
knowne to be;" and Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie, 1589: "so 
would I not have a translatour be ashamed to be acknowen of his trans- 
lation." In the Life of Ariosto appended to Sir John Harrington's Or- 
lando Furioso, we read : " Some say he was married to her privilie, but 
durst not be acknowne of it." 

325. The Moor, etc. This line is not in the 1st quarto. 

326. Conceits. Conceptions. See on 115 above. 

327. Distaste. To be distasteful or unsavoury. Cf. T. and C. iv. 4. 
50: "Distasting with the salt of broken tears" ("distasted" in the 
quartos). It is used transitively (=embitter) in T. and C. ii. 2. 123: 
"Cannot distaste the goodness;" and ( — dislike) in Id. ii. 2. 66 : "Al- 
though my will distaste what it elected." 



19 o NOTES. 

328. Act. Action, operation ; as in i. 1. 62 above. 

329. / did say so. Referring to what he has just said. He sees by 
Othello's looks that the "poison " is burning his blood. 

330. Mandragora. Mandrake. For the various superstitions connect- 
ed with the plant, see R. and J. p. 206, note on Mandrakes". Cf. A. and 
C. i. 5. 4 fol. 

331. Syrups. Used by S. only here and in C. of E. v. 1. 104 : " With 
wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers." 

332. Medicine. Used again as a verb in Cymb. iv. 2. 243 : " Great 
griefs, I see, medicine the less." 

333. Ow'dst. Ownedst, hadst ; as in i. 1. 66 above. 

338. What sense, etc. Steevens quotes Middleton, The Witch (see 
Macb.p. II) : 

" I feele no ease ; the burthen 's not yet off, 

So long as the abuse sticks in my knowledge. • 
Oh, tis a paine of hell to know ones shame ! 
Had it byn hid and don. it had byn don happy, 
For he that 's ignorant lives long and merry ;" 



and again : 



" Hadst thou byn secret, then had I byn happy, 
And had a hope (like man) of joies to come. 
Now here I stand a stayne to my creation ; 
And, which is heavier than all torments to me, 
The understanding of this base adultery," etc. 



340. The next night. Indication of long time ; as if many nights had 
elapsed. The folio reads, "the next night well, fed well, was free," etc. 

346. Pioners. Spelt " Pyoners " in the quartos and 1st and 2d folios, 
"Pioneers" in the later folios. See Ham. p. 198. The word is here = 
the vilest of the camp. Pioneers were generally degraded soldiers, ap- 
pointed to that office as a punishment. Cf. Davies, The Art of War, 
1619 : " Such a one is to be dismissed with punishment, or to be made 
some abject pioner." 

347. So, Provided that, if. Gr. 133. O nova, etc. See p. 33 above. 
352. The ear-piercing fife. Warb. wanted to change this most expres- 
sive epithet to " fear-'spersing !" Cf. M. of V. ii. 5. 30 : 

"when you hear the drum 
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife;" 

and see note in our edition, p. 142. 

According to Warton, the fife and drum were used together in the 
European armies, especially in the German, as early as the first quarter 
of the 16th century. The fife was subsequently given up in the English 
service, and we find no mention of it until 1747, when it was used by the 
order of the Duke of Cumberland in the camp at Maestricht. It is un- 
known to the French even now ; and M. Alfred de Vigny, in translating 
this passage of Othello, gives us only the drum : 

" Adieu done, le coursier que la trompette anime, 
Et ses hennissements et les bruits du tambour, 
L'etendard qu'on deploie avec des cris d'amour !" 

354. Circumstance. S. uses the singular and the plural indifferently. 
Cf. A", of L, 1262 and 1703, etc. 



ACT III. SCENE III. 



191 



355. Whose rude throats. Steevens quotes Milton, P. I. vi. 586 : " From 
those deep-throated engines belch'd, whose roar," etc. The quartos 
have " wide throats." 

356. Clamours. Applied by S. to the sound of cannon (K.John, ii. 1. 
383), of drums and trumpets [Id. v. 2. 168), of tempests (2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 
24, T. and C. v. 2. 1 74), etc. 

361. Mali's. The 1st quarto has "mans," the folios "mine" (which 
some editors prefer), the later quartos " my." Steevens suggests that 
" S. might have designed an opposition between man and dog." 

362. Hadst been better have been. See Much Ado, p. 132, note on Have 
made Hercules have turned, or Gr. 360. 

365. Probation. Proof; as the context shows. Cf. Ham. i. 1. 156 : 

"and of the truth herein 
This present object made probation,'' etc. 

369. Remorse. Pity, compunction. See Macb. p. 171. 
371. Do deeds, etc. Cf. M.for M. ii. 2. 121 : 

" Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 
As make the angels weep." 

379. This profit. This good lesson (Schmidt). Cf. Cymb. iii. 3. 18 : 

"to apprehend thus 
Draws us a profit from all things we see." 

380. Sith. Since. It is the folio reading, the quartos having "since." 
See Ham. p. 201. 

381. Shouldst. Cf. Macb. i. 2. 46 : " You should be women ; And yet 
your beards," etc. Gr. 323. lago plays upon the word in his reply. 

384. Be . . . is. The change from the subjunctive to the indicative is 
very significant (Gr. 299). 

386. Her name. The reading of 2d and 3d quartos ; the folios have 
" My name," which K. defends. 

388. If there be cords, etc. Cf. Per. iv. 2. 160 : " If fires be hot, knives 
sharp, or waters deep," etc. 

398. living. " That has the life of truth and fact in it, not founded on 
mere surmise " (Clarke). For she's the quartos have " that she 's." 

401. Priced. Spurred, incited. Cf, T. of S. iii. 2, 75, Rich. II. ii. 1. 207, 
etc. 

406. Sleeps. Cf. Ham. iv. 7. 30 : " Break not your sleeps for that," etc. 
See Macb. p. 209, note on loves, or Rich. II. p. 206, note on Sights. 

414. Cursed fate, etc. " The effect of long time is conveyed through- 
out this speech" (Clarke). 

417. A shrewd doubt. Ground for evil suspicion. For doubt, see on 
188 above; and for shrewd, see Hen. VIII. p. 202 and J. C. p. 145. The 
1st quarto gives this line to lago. 

420. Yet. As yet. See on 130 above. 

428. Any that was. The quartos and 1st folio have " any, it was ;" the 
later folios, "any, if 't was." The correction is Malone's. 

432. True. The 1st quarto has " time." 

433- Fond. Foolish. See on 1.3. 317 above. 



i 9 2 NOTES, 

435. The hollow hell. .The folio reading ; the quartos have " thy hol- 
low cell," which most editors prefer ; but we are inclined to agree with 
K. that hell was intended to be antithetical to the preceding heaven. Cf. 
Milton, -P. L. i. 314: 

" He called so loud that all the hollow deep 
Of hell resounded ;" 

and Id. i. 542 : " A shout that tore hell's concave." 

436. Hearted. See on i. 3. 361 above. Hearted throne = " the heart 
on which thou wast enthroned" (Johnson). Cf. T. N. ii. 4. 22 : 

" It gives a very echo to the seat 
Where Love is thron'd." 

437. Fraught. Freight, load. It is used literally in T. N.v. 1. 64 : 
"the Phoenix and her fraught from Candy;" and T A. i. 1. 71 : " the 
bark that hath discharg'd her fraught." Cf. fraughtage in C. of E. iv. 1. 
87 and T. and C. prol. 13. 

441-448. These lines are not in the 1st quarto. Steevens suggests that 
S. took the simile from Holland's Pliny : " And the sea Pontus ever 
more floweth and runneth out into Propontis, but the sea never retireth 
backe againe within Pontus." 

442. Compulsive. Used again in Ham. iii. 4. 86. Cf. compulsative in 
Ham. i. 1. 103. 

443. Feels. The folios have "keepes" or " keeps." The Coll. MS. 
has " knows," which W. adopts. 

447. Capable. Capacious, ample. For another peculiar use of the 
word, see A. Y. L. p. 182. 

448. Yond. Not to be printed " 'yond," as it often is. See Temp. p. 
121, or J. C. p. 134. 

Marble. Probably = everlasting (Schmidt). Cf. Cymb. v. 4. 87 : " Peep 
through thy marble mansion;" Id. v. 4. 120: "The marble pavement 
closes ;" and T. of A. iv. 3. 191 : " the marbled mansion all above." 

450. Engage. Pledge. CLA. Y. L. v. 5. 172 : "I do engage my life," 
etc. 

451. Witness, etc. This apostrophe proves that S. intended this scene 
should be in the open air. 

452. Clip. Embrace, surround. Cf. K. John, v. 2. 34 : " Neptune's 
arms, who clippeth thee about ;" Cymb. ii. 3. 139 : 

" His meanest garment, 
That ever hath but clipp'd his body," etc. 

454. Exectition. Exercise, employment. Cf. 3 Hen. VI. ii. 3. Ill : 
" The execution of my big-sw r oln heart," etc. Cf. the use of execute in 
T. and C. v. 7. 6 : " In fellest manner execute your arms," etc. 

456. Remorse. Pity ; as in 369 above. " It shall be an act, not of 
cruelty, but of tenderness to obey him ; not of malice to others, but of ten- 
derness for him " (Johnson). Steevens compares Cymb. iv. 2. 168 : 

" I 'd let a parish of such Clotens blood, 
And praise myself for charity."' 

457. Business ever. The quartos have " worke so ever." 



ACT III. SCENE IV. 



*93 



Scene IV. — 2. Lies. Lodges, resides. Cf. T. G. of V. iv. 2. 137 : 
" Where lies Sir Proteus ?" 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 299 : " when I lay at Clem- 
ent's inn," etc. See also Milton, HAH. 79 : " Where perhaps some 
beauty lies," etc. 

17. By them answer. That is, by them be enabled to answer, or get 
the information to use in my answer. 

22. Should. Could. Cf. Hen. VIII iii. 2. 160 : " What should this 
mean ?" Gr. 325. 

For handkerchief "the 1st quarto has " handkercher." See Hen. V. p. 

163. 

23. I know not. A direct lie. " Emilia is one of those who think that 
a, lie is the easiest means of evading a difficulty; and the dramatist has 
made her a coarse type of such women ; while he has made the delicate, 
the gentle, the innocent Desdemona a refined type of them. Fine moral 
harmony in even two such dissimilar characters !" (Clarke). 

24. Had rather. See A. Y. L. p. 139, note on Had as lief 

25. Crusadoes. Portuguese gold coins current in England in the time 
of S. They were so called from the cross stamped upon them. 

36. For yet (cf. iii. 3. 420 above), see Gr. 76 ; and for the double nega- 
tive, Gr. 406. 

39. Sequester. Sequestration, separation. See A. Y. L. p. 152, note 
on Sequestered. 

40. Exercise. Performance of religious duties. Cf. IV. T. iii.. 2. 242, 
Rich. III. iii. 2. 1 12, iii. 7. 64, etc. 

46. Our new heraldry, etc. This was thought by Warb., Chalmers, 
Douce, and others, to refer to the arms of the order of Baronets, instituted 
by King James in 161 1, and was used by them in fixing the date of the 
play (see p. 11 above) ; but if the passage contains any such allusion, it 
must have been inserted some years after the play was w r ritten. Stee- 
vens considered it " only a figurative expression, without the least refer- 
ence to King James's creation of baronets ;" and we are inclined to agree 
with him. 

48. Chuck. Equivalent to chick. See Macb. p. 212. 

50. Sorry. " Sore, painful " (Schmidt) ; the folio reading. The 
quartos have "sullen," and the Coll. MS. "sudden." For the ellipsis 
of the relative, see Gr. 244. 

. 56. Charmer. Enchantress. Cf. Dent, xviii. ir : "Let none be found 
among you that is a charmer." Perkins, in his Discourse of the damned 
Art of Witchcraft, 1610, speaks of " diviners, charmers, jugglers," etc. 

61. Loathed. The 1st quarto has "loathly," which is found in Temp. 
iv. 1. 20 and 2 He?i. IV. iv. 4. 122. 

63. Wive. See on ii. 1. 60 above. 

64. Her. The antecedent is implied in wive. 

68. 7 Tis true, etc. See pp. 17 and 29 above. 

69. A sibyl, etc. Cf. T. of S. i. 2. 70 : " As old as Sibvl ;" and M. of V. 
i. 2. 116: "as old as Sibylla." 

Had number 'd, etc. " Numbered the sun to course, to run two hundred 
compasses, two hundred annual circuits " (Johnson). 

73. Dyed in mummy. The balsamic liquor that oozed from mummies 

N 



I94 NOTES. 

was supposed to have medicinal properties. Steevens says that in his 
day it was still sold in the principal apothecaries' shops. See Macb. p. 
228. 

74. Conserved. Prepared as a conserve. The 1st quarto has " Con- 
serues," and " with" for which in 73. 

78. Stai'tingly. Abruptly. Pash = rashly — vehemently, violently 
(Johnson). Cf. M. for M. v. 1.36: "most bitterly and strange." For 
other examples of this and similar ellipses, see Gr. 397, or Schmidt, Ap- 
pendix, p. 1419. 

91. Talk me. Cf. T. of S. i. 2. 190 : " No, say'st me so, friend ?" etc. 
Gr. 220. 

102. ' T is not, etc. This, like / ne'er saw this before just above, helps 
to give the effect of long time. " They are indefinite expressions, and 
the present one applies to experience of marriage in the abstract ; but 
they tend to do away with the effect of Desdemona's recent nuptials, and 
to substitute that of her having been some time wedded " (Clarke). 

104. Hungerly. Hungrily. Cf. T. of A. i. 1. 262 : " I feed Most hun- 
gerly on your sight." It is an adjective in T. of S. iii. 2. 177. Gr. 447. 

107. Happiness. Good luck. For the accent of importune, see R. and 
J. p. 143, or Ham. p. 190. 

110. Virtuous. Powerful; as in M. N. D. iii. 2. 267 : "this virtuous 
property." See M. X. D. p. 169. 

112. Office. The 1st quarto has "duty," which means the same. 

118. My benefit. An act of kindness to me. 

120. Shut ?nyself up in. The 1st quarto has "shoote my selfe up in ;" 
and the Coll. MS. "shift myself upon." Capell reads ''shoot myself 
upon." S. elsewhere uses shut up z// = confine. Cf T. and C. i. 3. 58, T. 
of A. iv. 3. 279, and Macb. ii. 1. 16. The meaning here seems to be, 
"confine myself to some other course, awaiting whatever fortune may 
bestow upon me" (Steevens and Clarke). 

122. Advocation. Advocacy, pleading ; used by S. only here. 

124. Favour. Aspect, personal appearance; as in i. 3.337 above. 

127. Within the blank, etc. "Within the shot of his anger" (John- 
son). Cf. Ham. iv. 1. 42 : "As level as the cannon to his blank;" and 
see note in our ed. p. 243. 

136. Puffd his own brother. " And yet he was cool and unruffled " is 
understood (Malone). 

140. UnhatcJi'd practice. Undeveloped treason. For iinhatch'd, cf. 
Ham. i. 3. 65 ; and for practice^ plotting, see Ham. p. 255, or Much Ado, 
p. 156. 

141. Demonstrable. Used by S. only here. For the accent, see Gr. 
492. 

142. Puddled. Muddied, disturbed, or the Yankee "riled." Cf. C. of 
E. v. 1. 173 : "pails of puddled mire." 

145. // indues, etc. " It imparts to the other limbs the faculty of feel- 
ing the same pain" (Schmidt). Cf. Ham. iv. 7. 180: "native and indued 
Unto that element." Johnson conjectured "subdues." 

148. Observancy. Devotion, homage. The 1st folio has "observ- 
ancie" (and "fits"), the quartos "observances," the later folios "observ- 



ACT IV. SCENE L 195 

ance." S. does not use observancy elsewhere. For observance in the same 
sense, see M. W. ii. 2. 203 ; "a doting observance ;" A. Y. L. v. 2. 102 : 
"duty and observance," etc. W. has "observancy" and "fit," the latter 
being probably a misprint. 

149. As fits, etc. Another suggestion of "long time." For beshrew, 
see M.N. D. p. 152. 

150. Unhandsome warrior. " Unfair assailant " (Johnson). " A love- 
ly reminiscence of her husband's calling her my fair warrior in the joy 
of his first meeting with her on arrival" (Clarke). See ii. 1. 184 above. 

J 55- Toy. Whim, fancy. See Ham. pp. 187, 195, and cf. note on i. 3. 
267 above. 

160. Eor. Because ; as in i. 3. 267, iii. 3. 263, etc. 

161. Upon. The 3d quarto has "unto." 

168. Make. Do. See on i. 2. 49 above. The 4th folio and the Var. 
of 182 1 have "makes." 

177. Continuate. Uninterrupted, unbroken by other business. The 
1st quarto has "convenient." Cf. T. of A. i. I. 11 : " continuate good- 
ness." 

179. Take out. Copy (cf. 189 just below). See on iii. 3. 296 above. 

186. In good troth. The 1st quarto has "by my faith." 

193. Addition. Credit. For womarfd, see Gr. 290. 

194. Why . . . not. Not in the 1st quarto. 

196. Bring me, etc. Accompany me. See Hen. V. p. 158. 
200. Circumstanced. That is, I must yield to circumstances. 



ACT IV. 

Scene I. — 2. Unauthorized. So authorize is accented by S. on the 
penult. See Macb. p. 218. 

3. Against the devil. Johnson makes this — "to cheat the devil;" 
Schmidt explains against as "towards, to." 

5. The devil, etc. " The devil tempts their virtiie by stirring up their 
passions, and they tempt heaven by placing themselves in such a situa- 
tion as makes it scarcely possible to avoid falling by the gratification of 
them " (Henley). Cf. Matt. iv. 7. 

18. The raven. It was believed that the raven hovered near a house 
in which sickness or infection existed. Malone quotes Marlowe, Jew of 

Malta, ii. I : 

"Thus like the sad presaging raven, that tolls 
The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, 
And in the shadow of the silent night, 
Does shake contagion from her sable wings." 

Cf. Davenant, Love a?id Honour : 

" So ravens croke 
When they fly o'er the mansions of the sick, 
Boding their death." 

24. Dotage of Doting upon, doting affection for. See M. N. D. p. 
174. 



I9 6 NOTES. 

25. Supplied. "Gratified the desire of" (Schmidt). Cf. M.for M. v. 
I. 212. 

31. To confess and be hanged. An old proverb. Cf. T. of A. i. 2. 22 : 
" Ho, ho ! confess'd it ! hang'd it, have you not ? : ' and Marlowe, Jew of 
Malta (quoted by Steevens) : " Blame us not, but the proverb — Confess, 
and be hang'd." 

33. Shadowing. "Full of shapes and images of things" (Schmidt). 
Johnson explains the passage thus: "This passion, which spreads its 
clouds over me, is the effect of some agency more than the operation of 
words ; it is one of those notices which men have of unseen calamities." 
Sir J. Reynolds says: "Othello alludes only to Cassio's dream, which 
had been invented and told him by Iago." Hanmer adopted Warbur- 
ton's conjecture of " induction " (cf. Rich. III. iv. 4. 5) for instruction. 
The Coll. MS. has "shuddering" for shadowing. 

35. Noses, ears, and lips. Steevens compares W. T. i. 2. 285 (omitted 
under nose in Mrs. Clarke's Concordance)-. 

"Is whispering nothing? 
Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses? 
Kissing with inside lip?' - etc. 

Clarke remarks : "This speech, composed entirely of abrupt and inco- 
herent words, disjointed phrases, and unconnected exclamations, wrung 
from the depths of a soul immersed in images of the most revolting and 
poignantly distressing kind, affords a notable instance of Shakespeare's 
might in producing powerful impressions through imperfect expres- 
sion." 

44. He had one yesterday. Iago is a liar, and may lie here ; but, as 
Clarke remarks, it helps to give the effect of "long time." 

46. His. Its. Gr. 228. 

47. By ami by. Presently. See on ii. 3. 285 above. 

55. A homed man. A cuckold. Cf. Much Ado, i. 1, 266, ii. 1. 47, v. I. 
184, v. 4. 44, etc. See on iii. 3. 276 above. 
57. Civil. Civilized. Cf. Cymb. iii. 6. 23 : 

" Ho, who 's here? 
If any thing that 's civil, speak ; if savage, 
Take or lend." 

61. Unproper. Not exclusively their own ; with perhaps a play on 
the other sense. Cf. proper = one's own, in i. 3. 69 above. S. uses im- 
proper only here, improper ( = not becoming) only in Lear, v. 3. 221. 

62. Peculiar. Private, one's own ; as in i. I. 60 and iii. 3. 79 above. 

63. The spite of hell. Schmidt makes spite— " mortification, vexation " 
(cf. V. and A. 1133) ; but it seems rather to be=malice. The spite of hell 
is explained by the fiend's arch-mock. The man is not mortified, for he 
does not know his disgrace. 

64. Secure. Free from care or suspicion (Latin securus). See Ham, 
p. 196. For lip) — Y\ss, cf. A. and C. ii. 5. 30. 

68. /// a patient list. Within the bounds of patience. For list— boun- 
dary, see Ham. p. 249. 

69. O'erzvhelmed. The 1st quarto has "erewhile mad ;" probablv the 
compositor's misreading of the MS. 



ACT IV. SCENE I. 



197 



71. Shifted him away. Contrived to get rid of him. Cf. Macb. 11. 3. 151: 

" And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, 
But shift away r ' 

(that is, contrive to get away). 

72. Ecstasy. Here = swoon; elsewhere =any state of being beside 
one's self (rapture, madness, etc.). See Ham. p. 201, or Macb. p. 211. 

74. Encave. Conceal ; used by S. only here. Cf. Gr. 440. 

75. Eleers. Mocks ; the only instance of the noun in S. For the 
verb, see Much Ado, p. 162. Scorns — expressions of scorn. Cf. 1 Hen. 
VI. i. 4. 39 : " With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts," etc. 

76. Region. Part. Cf. Hen. VIII % ii. 4. 184 : " The region of my 
breast ;" and Tear, i. 1. 147 : " The region of my heart." 

79. He hath, and is again to cope. He hath met and is again to meet. 
For the ellipsis, cf. Gr. 383 ; and for cope — meet, encounter, see A. V. I. 
p. 155. 

81. All in all in spleen. Wholly given up to anger. Cf. 1 Hen. IV. 
v. 2. 19 : "A hair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen." 

87. Housewife. Hussy. See on ii. 1. in above. 

88. It is. Used contemptuously ; as in R. and J. iv. 2. 14, etc. See 
on ii. 1. 30 above. 

94, Unbookish. Ignorant, unskilled. 

97. Worser. Cf. i. 1. 93 above. 

Addition. Title. See Hani. p. 193. 

101. Caitiff. Formerly used of both sexes. Cf. A. W. iii. 2. 117 : "I 
[Helena] am the caitiff that do hold him to it;" Rich. III. iv. 4. 100 : 
M For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care," etc. Here the word is 
used half playfully, half fondly ; like fool (see A. Y. I. p. 151), wretch (iii. 
3. 90 above), etc. 

107. Well said. Well done. See on ii. 1. 165 above. 

in. Do you triumph, Roman? Roman is ironical, suggested by the 
triumph. 

112. Customer. A harlot (cf. S f above) ; as in A. W. v. 3. 287 : " some 
common customer." 

Bear some charity. As we still say "bear malice," "bear ill-will," 
etc. Cf. Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 63 : " Zeal and obedience he still bore your 
grace," etc. 

119. Scored me. Johnson (so Schmidt) explains this as = " made my 
reckoning, settled the term of my life ;" Steevens and Clarke take it to 
mean "branded me." The 1st quarto has "stor'd me well." 

125. The other day. A "long-time " hint. 

126. Bauble. Contemptuously ^plaything ; or perhaps = fool. The 
fool's club or staff was called a bauble ; as in A. W. iv. 5. 32 and R. and 
J. ii. 4. 97- 

127. Me. "Ethical dative." Gr. 220. Cf. i. 1. 49 above. The 1st 
quarto has " by this hand she fals thus," etc. 

130. Hales. Hauls, draws. See Much Ado, p. 137. 

137. Fitchezv. Literally, pole-cat ; here used contemptuously. Cf. T. 
and C.v. 1. 67 and Tear, iv. 6. 124. For the idiomatic use of such another* 
cf. /)/. W. i. 4. 160, T. and C. i. 2/282, 296, etc. 



198 



XOTES. 



144. Hobby-horse. For the contemptuous use of the word, see Much 
Ado, p. 144. It was applied to both sexes. 

154. Very fain. We should not use this expression now, though we 
say " very gladly," etc. Cf. Much Ado, p. 118, note on Very much glad. 

169. To-night. "It is this necessity for prompt vengeance on the part 
of Othello that makes the dramatist throw in occasional touches of short 
time ; as it is the need for effect of destruction to established wedded 
faith and happiness that makes S. introduce denotements of long time " 
(Clarke). 

171. It hurts my hand. Steevens quotes A. and C. iv. 9. 16 : 

"throw my heart 
Against the flint and hardness of my fault : 
Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder, ' etc. 

176. She will sing, etc. Cf. V. and A. 1096: 

"To recreate himself when he hath sung, 
The tiger would be tame and gently hear him." 

178. Invention. Mental activity in general (Schmidt). See Much Ado, 

P- I 5 6 - 

181. Condition. Disposition. See on ii. I. 243 above. 

185. Patent. Privilege, formal permission. Mai one compares King 
Edzoard III., 1596 : " Why then give sin a passport to offend." 

192. Unprovide. Unfit, deprive of resolution ; used by S. only here. 

197. Let me be his undertaker. Let me take care of him. Undertaker 
occurs again in T. N. iii. 4. 349, where it is = a meddler, or one who un- 
dertakes other peopled business. 

203. Save you, etc. The 1st quarto has " God save the worthy gen- 
eral !" The change, like others of the kind, was probably made on ac- 
count of the statute against using the Divine name on the stage. See p. 
11 above. 

With all my heart. The phrase is used both as a reply to a salutation 
( — 1 thank you with all my heart) and as a salutation (=1 greet you with 
all my heart). For an example of the former, see Lear, iw. 6. 32; and 
for one of the latter, T. of A. iii. 6. 27 (Clarke). 

219. Atone them. Bring them at one, reconcile them. Cf. Rich. II. 1. I. 
202 : "Since we cannot atone you," etc. For other meanings of atone, 
see A. Y. L. p. 199. 

223. Deputing. Substituting; as in iv. 2. 217 below. 

225. I am glad, etc. Clarke thinks it possible that S. wrote " mad to 
see you glad." The speech is probably ironical. 

231.- If that, etc. " If woman's tears could impregnate the earth. By 
the doctrine of equivocal generation, new animals were supposed produc- 
ible by new combinations of matter " (Johnson). For teem, see Macb. p. 

243- 

232. Falls. Lets fall. See J. C. p. 169, note on They fall their crests. 

Malone says : " S. here alludes to the fabulous accounts of crocodiles. 
Each tear, says Othello, which falls from the false Desdemona would 
generate a crocodile, the most deceitful of all animals, and whose own 
tears are proverbially fallacious." Bullokar, in his English Expositor, 
says : " It is written that he will weep over a man's head when he hath 



ACT IV. SCENE II. 



199 



devoured the body, and then will eat up the head too. Wherefore in 
Latin there is a pr over be, crocodili lachrymce, crocodile's tears, to signifie 
such tears as are fained, and spent only with intent to deceive, or doe 
harm." According to the same writer, a dead crocodile, " but in perfect 
forme," about nine feet long, had been exhibited in London in the poet's 
time. 

255. Safe. Sound. Cf. J. C. i. 1. 14 : "a safe conscience," etc. 

256. Censure. Opinion, judgment ; as in ii. 3. 175 above. See anoth- 
er example in the preface to the 1st quarto, quoted on p. 11. 

260. Use. Custom, habit. C£ M. of V. iv. I. 268 : "it is still her 
use ;" Ham. iii. 4. 168 : " For use almost can change the stamp of nat- 
ure," etc. 

262. New-create. For the compound, cf. Tenip. i. 2. 81 and Hen. VIII 
v. 5. 42. The hyphen is not in the early eds. 

263. Honesty. What is becoming or proper. Cf. Ham. ii. 2. 204 : " I 
hold it not honesty to have it thus set down," etc. 

Scene II. — 2. Nor ever heard, etc. A suggestion of " long time." 

3. And she. Cf. A. and C. iii. 13. 98 : " So saucy with the hand of she 

here ;" T. and C. ii. 3. 25 : " Praise him that got thee, she that gave thee 

suck r " etc. 

12. Durst to wager. See Gr. 349. 

13. Other. For the singular use, cf. L 1. 1, iii 1. 83 : " Do the wise 
think them other ?" See also Gr. 12. 

14. Reincrue. Banish, put away. Cf. R. of L. 243 ; "'My will is strong, 
past reason's weak removing ;" Id. 614 : " thy will remove," etc. 

29. Mystery. Like function in 27 = trade, occupation. Cf. M.for M. 
iv. 2. 30 fol. and T. of A. iv. 1. 18. " Othello taunts Emilia with having 
made a traffic in connivance at stolen meetings between Cassio and Des- 
demona, and now bids her give a specimen of proficiency in her avoca- 
tion ; afterwards following up his insult by flinging her money for her 
* pains ' " (Clarke). 

35. Being like one of heaven. " How exquisitely these few 7 words serve 
to paint to us Desdemona's look of angelic purity and innocence, togeth- 
er with the impression it exercises upon even her husband's jaundiced 
sight !" (Clarke). 

47. They. For heaven as a plural, cf. Rich. II. i. 2. 6, Macb. ii. 1. 4, 
and Ham. iii. 4. 173. See Rich. II. p. 157. 

53, 54. A fixed figure, etc. A much disputed passage. The 1st 
quarto has : 

" A fixed figure, for the time of scorne, 
To point his slow vnmouing fingers at— oh, oh," 

The 1st folio reads : 

■ ' The fixed Figure for the time of Scorne, 
To point his slow, and mouing finger at." 

The Coll. MS. has "slowly moving," which was also a conjecture of 
Mason's. St. adopts Hunter's conjecture : 

" The fixed figure of the time, for scorn 
To point his slots - and moving finger at, — " 



2 oo NOTES. 

The reading in the text is that of the 2d quarto, and is adopted by \\\, 
the Camb. editors, Clarke, and others. 

The time of scorn— " the scornful world" (Schmidt), or "the scornful 
spirit of the epoch " (Clarke). Slow (=slow to change its direction) pre- 
pares the way for 2mmovi?/g,wh\ch both explains and emphasizes it. That 
S. should be supposed to have written "slow and moving" shows what 
a poet may suffer at the hands of a prosaic critic. The mistake in the 
folio was doubtless one of the ear in transcribing the manuscript. 

56. Garner W. Johnson says : "The garner and the fountain are im- 
properly conjoined ;" but a successioii of metaphors is not a fault, like 
the mixing of them. 

60. Cistern. Steevens quotes A. and C. ii. 5. 95 : 

" So half my Egypt were submerg'd, and made 
A cistern for scal'd snakes." 

61. Tnrji thy co?nplexion, etc. "At such an object do thou, Patience, 
thyself change colour ; at this do thou, even thou, rosy cherub as thou art, 
look as grim as hell" (Johnson). 

62. Rose-lipped chernbin. Cf. T. A. ii. 4. 24 : " thy rosed lips." For 
cherubin, see Temp. p. 115. 

67. Lovely. For the adverbial use, cf. 1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 124 : 

" I framed to the harp 
Many an English ditty lovely well." 

70. Book. For the metaphor, cf. K. John, ii. 1. 485, R. and J. i. 3. &j, 
iii. 2. 83, R. of L. 615, 1253, etc. 

72. Commoner. Harlot ; as in A. W. v. 3. 194. 

77. The bawdy wind. Cf. M. of V. ii. 6. 16: "the strumpet wind ;" 
M. N. D. ii. 1. 129 : " the wanton wind," etc. 

82. This vessel. This body of mine. Cf. T. of A. v. 1. 204 and Per. iv. 
4. 30. It is sometimes = a person ; as in W. T iii. 3. 21, J. C. v. 5. 13, etc. 
The Biblical phrase "the weaker vessel" {— woman) is used in L. L. L. 
i. 2. 276, A. Y. L. ii. 4. 6, etc. 

89. Married with. Cf. M. N. D. i. 1. 40 : " to marry with Demetrius." 
See also Much Ado, v. 4. 37, R. and J. iii. 5. 219, Ham. i. 2. 151, etc. So the 
transitive verb sometimes ; as in A. and C. i. 2. 29 : "to marry me with 
Octavius Caesar ;" but to is oftener used. 

90. To Saint Peter. To that of Saint Peter. For the ellipsis, cf. J. C. 
ii. I. 125 : 

" What need we any spur but our own cause 
To prick us to redress ? What other bond 
Than [that of] secret Romans, that have spoke the word, 
And will not palter?" 

98. With who ? See on i. 2. 52 above. 

107. How have I been behaved? Cf. Ham. iii. 1. 35 : " as he is behav'd." 
See Gr. 295. 

108. Least misuse. The 1st quarto has "greatest abuse;" and the 
Coll. MS. " least misdeed." Clarke explains the passage thus : " How 
can I have behaved, that even my least misconduct should have subject- 
ed me to the smallest misconstruction on his part ?" It may be a case 



ACT IV. SCENE II. 20 1 

like those explained by Schmidt in his Appendix, p. 1420, and referred 
to in A. Y. L. p. 156, note on No more do yours. See also A\ and J. p. 
199, note on And I am nothing slow to slack his haste. 

115. Thrown such despite, tic. "This shows that Emilia, among her 
other objectionable characteristics, is a listener — a mean listener at doors " 
(Clarke). 

118. Such as she says, etc. See p. 19 above. 

120. Callat. A coarse or lewd woman, a drab. Cf. W. T. ii. 3. 90, 2 
Hen. VI. i. 3. 86, and 3 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 145. Malone quotes Harrington, 
Ai'iosto, 1 59 1 : " And thus this old, ill-favour'd spiteful callet." 

129. Eternal. For the use of the word here, see Ham. p. 195, note on 
Eternal blazon. 

131. Cogging. Deceiving, lying. Cf. M. W.\\\. 1. 123: "this same 
scall, scurvy, cogging companion;" T. and C. v. 6. 11 : "you cogging 
Greeks," etc. See also Much Ado, p. 164. 

As Clarke notes, actresses often make the mistake of delivering this 
speech in a manner to indicate that Emilia suspects her husband ; but 
clearly this is not the case. Her suspicion never for an instant falls 
upon Iago. 

139. Notorious. Notable, egregious ; as in v. 2. 238 below. Cf. C. of E. 
iv. 1. 84, T. of S. v. 1, 54, etc. 

140. Companions. Contemptuous, as fellow now is. See another ex- 
ample in note on 131 just above. Cf. Temp. p. 131, note on Your fellow. 

142. Rascals. For the original meaning of the word, see A. Y. L. p. 
179. 

143. Speak within door. That is, not so loud as to be heard outside 
the house (Johnson). 

144. Squire. For the contemptuous use of the word, see Much Ado, 
p. 127. 

145. The seamy side without. Cf. ii. 3. 42 above : " Whom love hath 
turn'd almost the wrong side out." 

152. Discourse of thought. "Discursive range of thought " (Clarke). 
See Ham. p. 183, note on Discourse of reason. The 2d and 3d quartos 
have " discourse or thought." 

153. Or that. For that as a " conjunctional affix," see Gr. 287. 

159. Defeat. Destroy. Cf. Sonn. 61* 11 : "Mine own true love that 
doth my rest defeat." So the noun^ruin, destruction. See Ham. p. 
214. 

161. It doth abhor me. It is abhorrent to me, it fills me with horror ; 
the only instance of this sense in S. 

162. Addition. Name, title ; as in iv. 1. 97 above. 

166. Chide with. Quarrel with. Cf. Sonn. III. I : " O, for my sake do 
you with Fortune chide ;" Cymb. v. 4. 32 : " With Mars fall out, with 
Juno chide," etc. 

169. Stay the meat. Are waiting for supper. For stay, see Ham. p. 
268. The 1st quarto reads : " And the great messengers of Venice 
stay." 

173. /;/ the contrary. Cf. Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 182 : " as, i' the contrary," 
etc. 



202 NOTES. 

174. Every day. They have been in Cyprus only one day, but this 
gives the impression of "long time." 

Daffest me. Dost put me off. All the early eds. except the 1st folio 
have "dofftst" or "dofts." Doff is only another form of doff=do off. 
See Much Ado, p. 138. 

178. Put up in peace what, etc. We now say "put up with." Cf. T. 
A. i. 1. 433 : " And basely put it up without revenge." 

188. Respect. Attention, notice (Schmidt) ; as in 1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 31 : 
" If you vouchsafe me hearing and respect/' etc. 

193. Fobbed. Cheated, tricked. It is Rovve's correction of the"fopt" 
of the early eds. Cf. 1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 68 : " And resolution thus fobbed 
as it is with the rusty curb of old father antic the law ;" Cor. i. 1. 97 : 
" you must not think to fob off our disgrace with a tale," etc. 

199. You have said. " Well said, quite right" (Schmidt) ; as in T. G. 
of V. ii. 4. 29, T. N. iii. 1. 12, etc. 

200. Intendment. Intention. See A. Y. L. p. 139. 

202. Mettle. The early eds. make no distinction between mettle and 
metal. See Rich. II. p. 157, note on That metal. 

206. Directly. Honestly, in a straightforward manner. Cf. Cymb. iii. 
5. 113 : "directly and truly," etc. 

214. Engines. Ritson and Clarke explain this as —instruments of 
torture. Cf. Lear, i. 4. 290 : " That, like an engine, wrench'd my frame 
of nature." But it may simply mean " device or contrivance," as Schmidt 
gives it. Cf. A. W. iii. 5. 21 : "their promises, enticements, oaths, tokens, 
and all these engines of lust," etc. 

221. Lingered. Prolonged, protracted. For the transitive use, see 
M. N. D. p. 124, or Gr. 290. 

222. Determinate. Decisive ; as in Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 176 : "a deter- 
minate resolution," etc. It is — limited, fixed, in Souu. 8j. 4 and T. N. ii. 
1. n. 

225. Uncapable. Cf. M. of V. iv. 1.5: " Uncapable of pity." Else- 
where S. uses incapable. See Gr. 442. 

229. Harlotry. See R. and J. p. 204. The 1st quarto has " harlot." 
234. Amazed. In a maze, bewildered ; as in K. John, ii. 1. 356 : " Why 
stand these royal fronts amazed thus ?" A\ and J. iii. 1. 139 : " Stand not 
amaz'd," etc. 

236, 237. High supper-time. High time for supper. Mason wanted to 
read " nigh." 

237. Grows to waste. Is wasting away. Malone says that " perhaps 
we ought to print waist." See Ham. p. 186, note on Vast. 

Scene III. — 2. ' ) Twill do me good to ivalk. "One of Shakespeare's 
subtle indications of physical condition ; it perfectly shows the restless- 
ness, the mal-ease, the fret of limb and frame accompanying fever of the 
mind" (Clarke). 

10. He looks gentler, etc. " This also serves to denote the present 
state of Othello with perfect truth to natural course in emotional dis- 
turbance. His look and manner are calmer, because he has come to a 
resolved conclusion. . . . His mind being once made up as to the course 



ACT IV. SCENE III. 2 03 

he must pursue and the punishment he will inflict, it can suffer him to 
speak and look more gently than he did " (Clarke). 

11. Incontinent. Immediately. See on i. 3. 304 above, and cf. A. V. L. 
p. 194. 

15. Wearing. Clothes ; as in W. T. iv. 4. 9 : "With a swain's wear- 
ing." 

19. Checks. See on i. 1. 138 above. 

22. All 's one. All the same, very well. Cf. Muck Ado, v. I. 49 : 
" Well, all is one," etc. 

Faith. The reading of the 1st quarto ; the other earlv eds. have 
"father." 

23. If I do die, etc. " The touch of superstitious foreboding, the touch 
of tender sentiment, the touch of self-chiding for being weak enough to 
indulge them, are all perfectly womanly ; and make one marvel how a 
man could so intuitively have conceived the passage. But then the man 
is Shakespeare ; whose knowledge of womanhood, in all its intensest 
depths, is a miracle in itself" (Clarke). On the poet's fondness for pre- 
sentiments, see Ham. p. 273, note on But thou wouldst not think, etc., and 
R. and J. p. 1^7, note on My mind misgives, etc. 

24. Talk. That is, talk idly, talk nonsense. Cf. Much Ado, Hi. 3. 37 : 
"to babble and to talk;" Macb. iv. 2. 64: "Poor prattler, how thou 
talk'st !" etc. 

26. Mad. Some of the editors would have this mean "wild" or "in- 
constant," but we see no reason for not taking it in the common sense 
of insane. Prov'd mad — turned out to be deranged, as Clarke and 
others explain it. 

30. To do. Pope needlessly changed this to "ado." To-do is some- 
times used for ado (see Ham. p. 207) ; but in the present passage the 
verb may have its ordinary meaning : I have to do much, that is, to make 
a great effort. 

34. Proper. Comely, handsome. See on i. 3. 383 above, and cf. Heb. 
xi. 23. x . 

39. The poor soul, etc. S. has here " adapted " an old ballad, which 
may be found in Percy's Reliques. The original is a man's song, entitled 
"A Lover's Complaint, being forsaken of his Love ;" and in making it 
a woman's song the poet has varied its diction somewhat. 

Sighing. This is the reading of the original and of the 2d quarto 
("singhing" in 3d quarto). The folios have "singing," which may pos- 
sibly be one of the changes made by S. 

55. Moe. More. See A. Y. L. p. 176. For couch = lie, cf Much Ado. 
iii. 1. 46, M. of V. v. 1. 305, etc. 

59. Dost thou, etc. "Just one of Shakespeare's natural touches of 
abrupt reference and introduction of subject. Desdemona asks this 
question, and Emilia answers it, using the word such, although there has 
been no mention of unfaithfulness during this scene ; but it has been the 
subject of their thought, it has lain at the root of their dread that Othello 
is jealous, and they now show that it is perfectly present to their mind 
by this unushered allusion" (Clarke). 

63. jVo, by this heavenly light! "The contrast throughout the present 



204 NOTES. 

brief dialogue, of the innately pure woman and the ingrained coarse 
woman, the white-souled Desdemona and the gross-thoughted, mercena- 
ry, lax-principled Emilia, with her threadbare sophisms, her shallow ex- 
cuses, and her palterings with right and wrong, forms a fine climax to the 
light and dark characteristic difference between these two principal fe- 
male figures in the tragedy picture, even while the dramatic harmony is 
maintained by the single point of moral fallibility which they have in 
common " (Clarke). 

70. Joint-ring. A common lover's token in the olden time. Its con- 
struction is well explained in Dryden's Don Sebastian: 

"a curious artist wrought them 
With joints so close as not to be perceiv'd, 
Yet are they both each other's counterpart ; 
Her part had Juan inscrib'd, and his had Zayda 
(You know these names are theirs), and in the midst 
A heart divided in two halves was plac'd. 
Now, if the rivets of those rings inclos'd 
Fit not each other, I have forg'd this lye ; 
But if they join, you must for ever part." 

72. Exhibition. See on i. 3. 236 above, and cf. also Lear, i. 2. 25 : 

"And the king gone to-night! subscrib'd his power! 
Contin'd to exhibition!" 

81. To the vantage. " To boot, over and above " (Steevens). 
83-100. But I ... us so. Omitted in the 1st quarto. 

85. And pour, etc. Malone compares Souu. 142. 8: " Robb'd others' 
beds' revenues of their rent." For foreign, cf. Per. iv. I. 34: "With 
more than foreign heart." 

86. Peevish. Foolish. Cf. ii. 3. 167 above. 

88. Having. "Allowance, pin-money" (Schmidt). Cf. A. Y. L. p. 

In despite. Out of malice ; as in Hen. V. iii. 5. 17, etc. 

89. Galls. Bitter feelings. Cf. T. and C. i. 3. 237 : " they have galls," 
etc. 

91. Sense. "Senses, sensation" (Schmidt). Malone explains it as 
"sensual appetite." Cf. M.for M. i. 4. 59, etc. 

100. So. The later folios have "to." 

101. Uses. " Manners, ways " (Schmidt). The 1st quarto has " usage," 
which some modern editors prefer. 



ACT V. 

Scene I. — 1. Bulk. "A part of a building jutting out" (Schmidt); 
as in Cor. ii. 1. 226 : "stalls, bulks, windows," etc. The 1st and 2d folios 
have "barke." 

5. Resolution. Metrically equivalent to five syllables. Gr. 479. 

11. Quat. Literally, a pustule or pimple. Cf. the contemptuous use 
of scab in 71 ^V". ii. 5. 82, T.and C. ii. I. 31, Cor. i. I. 169, etc. See also 
Much Ado, ip. 146. The 1st quarto has "gnat." Steevens quotes Del> 



ACT V. SCENE II. 205 

ker, GuVs Hornbook, 1609 : "a yong quat of the first yeeres revennew ;" 
and The Devil's Law Case, 1623 : " O young quat !" 

To the sense = to the quick. 

16. BobVd from him. Fooled him out of. Cf. T. and C. iii. 1. 75 : 
" You shall not bob us out of our melody." In T and C. ii. 1. 76 and 
Rich. Ill v. 3. 334, &?£ = beat, drub. 

22. But so. The folio reading— " But, soft!" (M. N. D. iv. 1. 124, 
etc.). The quartos have "be 't so." which may be what S. wrote. 

25. Coat. That is, "coat of proof" or shirt of mail, worn beneath his 
outer garments. Hearing this, Iago wounds him "in the leg." 

26. Proof. Trial ; as in i. 1. 28 above. 

34. Unblest. Accurst ; as in ii. 3. 286 above. 

35. Forth of. Out of. See Rich. II. p. 192. 

37. No passage. No passers-by. Cf. C. of E. iii. 1. 99 : "the stirring 
passage of the day." 

42. A heavy night. "A thick cloudy night, in which an ambush mav 
be commodiously laid " (Johnson). Steevens cites M.for M. iv. 1. 35 : 
" the heavy middle of the night ;" where, however, it may be = drowsy, 
sleepy, as Schmidt explains it. 

48. Cries on. Cries out; as in Ham. v. 2. 375: "cries on havoc." 
Malone quotes Eastward Hoe, 1605 : "Who cries on murder?" John- 
son makes it = exclaims against. See Ham. p. 276. 

58. Make away. Get aw r ay. Cf. make after (i. 1. 68 above), make for 
(i. 3. 14), etc. The transitive make away — make awav with, kill ; as in 
A. V. L. v. 1. 58, Rich. III. iv. 4. 281, etc. 

69. Cry you mercy. Beg your pardon. See M. N. D. p. 159. Cf. 93 
below. 

71. Brother. That is, brother officer. 

78. May. See Gr. 309 ; and for should in the next line, Gr. 325. 

85. Trash. Worthless creature. Cf. ii. 1. 290 above. 

98. Well said. Well done; as in ii. 1. 165 and iv. 1. 107 above. 

105. Gentlemen. The quartos have "gentlewoman." 

106. Gastness. Ghastliness, haggard look. The quartos have "ieas- 
tures "or "jestures." We find gasted (or ghasted) in Lear, ii. 1. 57. 

117. Know of Find out from. For of — from, see Gr. 165 fol. 
129. Fordoes. Undoes, destroys. See Ham. p. 201. 

Scene II. — 1. 7? is the cause, etc. " Othello, full of horror at the cruel 
action which he is about to perpetrate, seems at this instant to be seek- 
ing his justification from representing to himself the cause, that is, the 
greatness of the provocation he had received" (Steevens). 

4. Whiter skin of hers than snow. Cf. Macb. v. 8. 7 : "Thou bloodier 
villain than terms can give thee out ;" and see on i. 3. 285 above. 

7. Put out the light, etc. Warb. pointed the line " Put out the light, 
and then — Put out the light !" and explained it thus : "The meaning is, ' 
I will put out the light, and then proceed to the execution of my purpose. 
But the expression of putting out the light bringing to mind the effects of 
the extinction of the light of life, he breaks short, and questions himself 
about the effects of this metaphorical extinction, introduced by a repeti- 



206 NOTES. 

tion of his first words, as much as to say, l3ut hold, let me first weigh the 
reflections which this expression so naturally excites." But, as Malone 
suggests, it probably means, I will now put out the light, and then put 
out the light of life. This introduces the following reflections as aptly 
as the other explanation, and seems simpler and more natural. The 
metaphor is a common one in S. Cf. 3 Hen. VI. ii. 6. 1, Macb. v. 5. 23, 
R. of L. 191, etc. 

11. Cunning 1 st. For this contraction of superlatives, cf. Macb. ii. 1. 24, 
ii. 2. 4, iii. 4. 126, etc. See Gr. 473. 

12. Promethean heat. Cf. L. L. L. iv. 3. 304, 351 : " Promethean fire." 

13. Relume. The folios have " re-Lume " or " re-lume ;" the 1st quar- 
to, " returne ;" the other quartos, "relumine." 

The rose. The folios have " thy rose," and in the next line but one 
"smell thee." 

21. This sorrow V heavenly. " This tenderness, with which I lament 
the punishment which justice compels me to inflict, is a holy passion " 
(Johnson). Steevens remarks that the cruel tears "seems adopted from 
the fabulous history of the crocodile " ! 

30. By. Aside. Cf. Much Ado, iv. 1. 24 : " Stand thee by, friar," etc. 
Gr. 36. 

32. Forefend. Forbid; as in 185 below. Cf. IV. T. iv. 4. 541, Rich. 
II. iv. 1. 129 ("forbid" in the folios), Cymh. v. 5. 287, etc. 

42. That death "s unnatural, etc. Cf. Rich. III. i. 2. 134 : 
" It is a quarrel most unnatural, 
To be reveng'd on him that loveth you." 

46. Point on. Cf. T. and C. i. 3. 331 : "find Hector's purpose Point- 
ing on him ;" J. C. i. 3. 32 : " the climate that they point upon," etc. 

63. Thou dost stone my heart, etc. " Thou dost harden my heart by 
denying thy guilt, and causest me to kill thee from wrath at thy perjury, 
when I intended thy death to be a sacrifice made to justice " (Clarke). 

Johnson remarks here : "lam glad that I have ended my revisal of 
this dreadful scene. It is not to be endured." 

72. Ta'en order. Taken measures. Cf. Rich. III. i. 4. 288 : " Until 
the duke take ("give" in the folios) order for his burial ;" Id. iv. 2. 53 : 
" I will take order for her keeping close," etc. 

82. Being done, etc. " My deed of retribution being once put into exe- 
cution, there must be no pause in completing it" (Clarke). 

83. It is too late. Here the 1st quarto inserts, " Des. O Lord, Lord, 
Lord." Toilet and Malone believe that it was omitted in the folio on 
account of the statute of 1606 (see p. 11 above). 

91. By and by. Presently ; as in ii. 1. 270 above. 

92. Like. Likely ; as often. See Ham. p. 186. 
101. At alteration. At the change. 

106. Murther. The early eds. have " murthers." 

109. Error. Aberration. On more nearer in no, see Gr. n. 

124. Nobody, etc. See p. 30 above. 

132. Folly. Wantonness, unchastity ; as often. Cf. R. of L. 556, 851, 
M. W. ii. 2. 253, iii. 2. 35, T. and C. v. 2. 18, etc. There is a play upon 
this sense in ii. 1. 135 above. See also Dent. xxii. 21. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 207 

134. False as water. Cf. W. T. i. 2. 132 : 

'" but they were false 
As o'er-dyed blacks, as wind, as waters." 

See also T. and C. iii. 2. 199, T. of A.m. 6. 99, and Hen. VII 7. ii. 1. 130. 
Cf. Gen. xlix. 4. 

139. J/y husband! Emilia's astonishment here is sufficient proof that 
she did not before suspect Iago of being the " eternal villain " that had 
" devised this slander." See on iv. 2. 131 above. 

149. Iterance. The quartos have " iteration," which means the same. 
So in 208 below the quartos have "reprobation," the folios " repro- 
bance." 

150. Villany hath made mocks, etc. " Villany has taken advantage to 
play npo7i the weakness of passion" (Johnson). 

160. You we7-e best. See on i. 2. 30 above. 

162. As I have to be hurt. That is, to endure being hurt. Cf. Hen. 
VIII. iii. 2. 387 : 

4i I am able now, methinks, 
Out of a fortitude of soul I feel, 
To endure more miseries and greater far 
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer ;" 

and 2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 130 : " More can I bear than you dare execute." 

176. Apt. Natural ; as in ii. 1. 274 above. 

182. Charm. Check or restrain, as with a charm or .spell. Cf.T.ofS. 
i. I. 214 : " I will charm him first to keep his tongue ;" Id. iv. 2. 58 : " To 
tame a shrew and charm her chattering tongue ;" 2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 64 : 
" And therefore shall it charm thy riotous tongue ;" and 3 Hen. VI. v. 5. 
31 : " Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue." Steevens cites 
examples of the phrase from Ben Jonson, Spenser, Chapman, and others. 

184-192. My mistress . . . villany. These lines are not in the 1st 
quarto. 

191. I thought so then. Referring to the suspicions she had expressed 
in iv. 2. 129 fol. "She seems to us about to say, 'I thought then that 
there was villany going on, but little thought my husband was its author.' 
The very thought that Iago could be capable of such villany causes her 
to interrupt her half-uttered sentence with ' I '11 kill myself for grief " 
" (Clarke). 

205. Shore. The past tense of shear— out, as with shears. The par- 
ticiple is shorn (as in Sonn. 68. 6), but shore for the sake of the rhyme in 
M. N. D.v.i. 347. 

207. Curse his better angel, etc. Cf. Sonn. 144. 6 : " Tempteth my bet- 
ter angel from my side." 

208. Reproba7ice. "Perdition, eternal damnation" (Schmidt). See 
on 149 above. 

211. A thousand times. An indefinite phrase, but used here to give 
the effect of " long time." Cf. " a hundred times " in iii. 3. 292 above. 

213. Recognizance. Token. The word is used by S. only here and in 
Ham. v. 1. 113, where it has its legal sense. 

215. Antique. For the accent, see Macb. p. 130. 



208 NOTES, 

216. My father gave my mother. This is not consistent with iii.4. 55 
fol. and has been criticised as an oversight in the poet ; but, as Steevens 
remarks, it is only a fresh proof of his art. Othello tells the truth here, 
while there he was frightening Desdemona with a fictitious history of 
the handkerchief. Clarke remarks : " Even this slight deviation from 
truth on the part of Othello works its own retribution. Had he not 
over-excited the gentle lady's fears by this description of the handker- 
chief, and startled her by his peremptoriness in demanding it, she might 
not have been tempted to prevaricate and tell a falsehood in reply to his 
divergence from absolute fact. Thus subtly does the greatest of dra- 
matic moralists draw his ethical lessons." 

219. As liberal as the north. As freely as the north wind blows. The 
1st quarto reads : "I 'le be in speaking, liberall as the ayre ;" the other 
quartos : " lie be in speaking, liberall as the north." Cf. Rich. II. ii. 1. 
229 : " a liberal tongue ;" and Cymb. i. 3. 36 : " the tyrannous breathing 
of the north." 

230. Filth. For the personal use, cf. Temp. i. 2. 346, Lear, iv. 2. 39, 
etc. 

232. Coxcomb. Equivalent here to fool in its strongest sense. 

233. Are there 110 stones in heaven, etc. Cf. J. C. i. 3. 49 : " Have 
bar'd my bosom to the thunder-stone ;" and see note in our ed. p. 138. 

234. Precious. For the ironical use, cf. Cymb. iii. 5. 81 and iv. 2. 83. 
238. A T otorious. Egregious ; as in iv. 2. 139 above. Iago was not a 

notorious villain in the modern sense of the word, for his villany had but 
just then become known. 
246. I will play the swan, etc. Cf. R. of L. 161 1 : 

" And now this pale swan in her watery nest 
Begins the sad dirge of her certain ending." 

See also K. John, v. 7. 21, M. of V. iii. 2. 44, and Phoenix and Turtle, 15. 

252. A sword of Spain, etc. " Spanish blades " {R. and J. i. 4. 84) 
were famous for their quality. Steel is tempered by plunging it red-hot 
into cold water. 

263. Your stop. What you can do to stop me. Cf. R. and J. ii. 2. 69 : 
" thy kinsmen are no stop to me," etc. Steevens quotes Cor. i. 1. 72 : 

" Cracking ten thousand curbs 
Of more strong link asunder than can ever 
Appear in your impediment." 

265. Weapoii'd. For participles formed from nouns, see Gr. 294, and 
cf. woman'dm iii. 4. 194 above. Lines 265-271 are not in the 1st quarto. 

266. Butt. Goal, bound. 

268. Lost. Wasted, groundless. 

269. A rush. Often used as the symbol of weakness and inefficiency. 
Cf. K. John, iv. 3. 129, Cor. i. 1. 185, i. 4. 18, etc. 

271. Wench. See on iii. 3. 313 above. 

272. Compt. The last reckoning-day. The 1st quarto spells the word 
"count." 

281, 282. O Desdemona, etc. The reading of the quartos, where, how- 
ever, the two lines form but one. The 1st folio has " Oh. Desdemon ! 



ACT V. SCENE II. 209 

dead Desdemon: dead. Oh, oh !" For the variations in the later folios 
and the modern editions, the curious reader may refer to the Camb. ed. 

286. His feet. To see if they are cloven. 

292. In the practice. Into the snare. ¥ ox practice = plot, cf. i. 3. 102 
and iii. 4. 140 above. For in, see Gr. 159. 

295. All in honour. See p. 27 above. 

296. Part. For the adverbial use, cf. Sonn. 113. 3, T. N. iii. 4. 337, etc. 

297. Consent in. Plan together, conspire with each other for. 
301. Demand. Ask, question. See Ham. p. 243. 

314. Discontented. "Full of dissatisfaction " (Schmidt). 

317. Belike. Probably. See Ham. p. 225. 

327. Cast. Dismissed, cashiered. Cf. i. 1. 139 and ii. 3. 12 above. 

Spake. Said. Cf. M.for M. v. i. 366 : " What you have spoke I par- 
don," etc. 

331. Taken off. Taken away ; as in A. W. ii. 1. 92 : " May spend our 
wonder too, or take off thine," etc. 

337. Bring him azvay. The quarto reading; the folio has "bring 
away," and the Coll. MS. "bring them away." 

345. Wrought. That is, wrought upon. Cf. W. T. v. 3. 58 : 

" If I had thought the sight of my poor image 
Would thus have wrought you," etc. 

See on i. 2. 6 above. 

347. Indian. The reading of all the early eds. except the 1st folio, 
which has " Iudean." Theo. (followed by Warb. and Malone) maintained 
that "Judean" was correct, and that it referred to Herod, who, in a fit 
of blind jealousy, threw away Mariamne, his "jewel " of a wife. On the 
other hand, Boswell cites in favour of Indian Habington's Castara: 

"So the unskilfull Indian those bright gems 
Which might adde majestie to diadems 
'Mong the waves scatters;" 

and Sir Edward Howard, The Woniarfs Conquest : 

" Behold my queen — 
Who with no more concern I 'le cast away 
Than Indians do a pearl that ne're did know 
Its value.*' 

Coleridge remarks on Warburton's note as follows : "Thus it is for no- 
poets to comment on the greatest 01 poets ! To make Othello say that 
he, who had killed his wife, was like Herod who had killed Mariamne ! 
Oh, how many beauties, in this one line, were impenetrable to the ever 
thought-swarming Warburton ! Othello wishes to excuse himself on the 
score of ignorance, and yet not to excuse himself — to excuse himself by 
accusing. This struggle of feeling is finely conveyed in the word base, 
which is applied to the rude Indian, not in his own character, but as the 
momentary representative of Othello's. Indian — for I retain the old 
reading — means American, a savage in geitere." 

350. Drop tears. " The sudden deviation from past tense to present 
tense here has impressive effect ; it tends to make the weeping of the 
noble-natured man and brave soldier the more vividly actual and intense 
to the imagination of reader or spectator " (Clarke). 

o 



2ic NOTES. 

351. Medicinable. Medicinal. S. has the word in four other passages 
{Much Ado, ii. 2. 5, T. and C i. 3. 91, iii. 3. 44, and Cymb. iii. 2. 33), in all 
— medicinal, and in all pronounced med'cinable, as here. Some editors 
adopt the " medicinal " of the 1st quarto, but that word, in the only in- 
stance in which S. uses it [IV. T. ii. 3. 37: "Do come with words as 
medicinal as true"), is pronounced medicinal, which would not suit the 
measure here. 

352. Aleppo. Steevens says; "I am told that it is immediate death 
for a Christian to strike a Turk in Aleppo. Othello is boasting of his 
own audacity." 

357. Period. Ending. Cf. R. of L. 380 : " the period of their ill," etc. 
In the present passage there is a kind of play upon the word, to which 
Gratiano refers in the next speech. 

362. Spartan dog. The dogs of Spartan breed were especially fierce 
and savage (Hanmer). Cf. M. A 7 . D. iv. 1. 124: "My hounds are bred 
out of the Spartan kind ;" and see note in our ed. p. 175. 

369. Censure. Sentence, condemnation. Cf. Cor. iii. 3. 46 : "To suf- 
fer lawful censure for such faults," etc. The word is often — opinion, 
judgment ; as in ii. 3. 175 and iv. 1. 256 above. 



ADDENDUM. 

The Sagittary (p. 158). We cannot find any evidence that the Arsenal 
at Venice was ever called " the Sagittary ;" probably this is a mere con- 
jecture of Knight's. His note, abbreviated on page 158, reads thus : 

"This is generally taken to be an inn. It was the residence at the ar- 
senal of the commanding officers of the navy and army of the republic. 
The figure of an archer, with his drawn bow, over the gates, still indi- 
cates the place. Probably Shakspere had looked upon that sculpture." 

The figure mentioned by K. is not "over the gates," but is one of four 
statues standing in front of the structure. It represents a man holding 
a bow (not "drawn ") in his hand, but is in no respect more conspicuous 
than its three companions. If S. was ever in Venice he probably saw 
the statue (if it is as old as the gateway, which was built in 1460), but we 
cannot imagine why it should suggest to him to call the place the Sagit- 
tary. That word means, not an ordinary archer, but a Centaur with a 
bow, as in the familiar representations of the zodiacal sign Sagittarius. 
This is its sense in the only other passage in which S. uses it, T. and C. 

V * 5* *4 : " the dreadful Sagittary 

Appals our numbers." 

That the Sagittary in the present passage cannot be the Arsenal is, how- 
ever, sufficiently clear from i. 3. 121. The Arsenal was by far the largest 
and most prominent public building, or collection of buildings, in all Ven- 
ice, its outer walls being nearly two miles in circuit. To suppose that 
anybody in the employ of the government would need the help of Iago 
in finding the place is absurd. 



INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES 
EXPLAINED. 



a (=one), 180. 

abhor, 201. 

abused (=deceived), 158. 

access (accent), 181. 

achieved, 172. 

acknown, 189. 

act (=operation), 190. 

action (trisyllable), 178. 

addiction, 176. 

addition (—credit), 195. 

addition (=title), 197, 201. 

advocation, 194. 

affects (noun), 167. 

affined, 156, 179. 

affinity, 182. 

agnize, 165. 

Aleppo, 210. 

all in all in spleen, 197. 

all 's one, 203. 

allowed, 165. 

Almain, 178. 

amazed, 202. 

ancient (noun) 5> 156. 

Anthropophagi, 163. 

antique (accent), 207. 

antres, 163. 

apart (=aside), 181. 

approved ( = proved), 179, 

180. 
apt (=natural), 175, 207. 
arrivance, 171. 
- as (=that), 157. 
assay of reason, 161. 
assure thee, 182. 
at land, 170. 
atone, 198. 

attach (=arrest), 161. 
attend (—await), 188. 

bauble, 197. 

be advised, 160. 

bear some charity, 197. 

be-leed, 156. 

belike, 209. 

beshrew, 195. 

besort, 166. 

bestow you, 182. 

bid good morrow, iSr. 



birdlime, 173. 
black, 188. 
blank, 194. 
blazoning, 172. 
blood, 179. 
bobbed, 205. 
brace (^armour), 162. 
bring (=accompany), 195. 
bulk, 204. 
butt, 208. 
by (—aside), 206. 
by and by (=presently), 180, 
196. 

caitiff, 197. 

callat, 201. 

canakin, 177. 

capable, 192. 

carack, 160. 

caroused (==drunk), 177. 

cast ( = dismiss), 158, 177, 

179, 209. 
censure (= judgment), 178, 

199. 
censure (=sentence), 210. 
certes, 155. 

challenge (=claim), 164. 
chamberers, 188. 
charm (=restrain), 207. 
charmer, 193. 

check (=rebuke), 158, 183. 
cherubin, 200. 
chide, 170, 173. 
chide with, 201. 
chronicle small beer, 173. 
chuck, 193. 
circumscription, 160. 
circumstance, 155. 
circumstance (number), 190. 
circumstanced, 195. 
civil, 196. 
clamours, 191. 
clean (adverb). 169. 
clip (= embraced 192. 
close as oak, 186. 
coat (—coat of proof), 205. 
cogging, 20 1. 
coined. 179. 



coloquintida, 169. 
commoner (=harlot\ 200. 
companions, 201, 208. 
compliment extern, 156. 
composition, 161. 
compt, 208. 
compulsive, 192. 
conceit, 183. 
conceits, 189. 
condition, 175, 198. 
confess and be hanged, 196. 
confine (accent), 160. 
conjunctive, 169. 
conjured, 163. 
conscionable, 175. 
consent in, 209. 
conserved, 194. 
consuls (=senators), 160. 
content (—joy), 174. 
content (=reward), 181. 
content you, 156. 
continuate, 195. 
contrived (^deliberate), 159. 
conveniences, 175. 
converse ( — conversation ), 

182. 
cope (=meet), 197. 
counter-caster, 156. 
course of direct session, 161. 
court of guard, 175, 179. 
courtesy, 174. 
coxcomb, 208. 
crack (^breach), 180. 
craftily qualified, 177. 
cries on, 205. 
critical, 173. 
crusadoes, 193. 
cry (=pack\ 180. 
cry you mercy, 205. 
cue, 161. 
cunning, 183. 
cunning'st, 206. 
curled (=foppish), 160. 
customer (=harlot), 197. 

diffest, 202. 

dear, 166. 

debitor and creditor, 15^. 



2i2 INDEX OF WORDS A AD PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



defeat (= destroy), 201. 
defeat (=disfigure), 169. 
defend (= forbid), 167. 
delations, 183. 

delighted (=delighting), 168. 
deliver prelate 1 , 163, 179. 
demand (= question), 209. 
demerits (=merits),i59. 
demonstrable (accent), 194. 
denotement, 180. 
deputing, 198. 
Desdemon, 182. 
designment, 171. 
determinate, 202. 
devesting, 178. 
Diablo! 178. 
dilate. 164. 

directly (=honestly), 202. 
discontent, 209. 
discourse of thought, 201. 
dislikes (=displeases), 177. 
displeasure, 182. 
disports, 167. 
dispose (noun), 170. 
disputed on, 161. 
distaste (verb), 189. 
distempering, 157. 
division ( = disposition), 155. 
dotage of, 195. 
double (voice), 159. 
doubt (=suspect), 182. 
doubt (^suspicion), 186, 191. 

ear-piercing fife, 190. 
ecstasy (=swoon), 197. 
elements, 177. 
embayed, 171. 
encave, 197. 
enchafed, 171. 
engage (=pledge), 192. 
enginer, 172. 
engines, 202. 
engluts, 162. 
ensteeped, 172. 
entertainment, 187. 
entreats his pause, 179. 
enwheel, 173. 
equinox, 178. 
erring, 169, 187. 
error (of the moon), 206. 
essential, 172. 
eiernal, 201. 
execute upon him, 179. 
execution (^exercise), 192. 
exercise, 193. 
exhibition, 166, 204. 
expert and approved allow- 
ance, 171. 
exsufnicate, 186. 
extincted, 173. 
extravagant, 158. 

fall to (=begin), 187. 



falls (transitive), 198. 

fantasy (=fancy), 189. 

fathom, 158. 

favour (=face), 169, 175, 194. 

fearful, 161. 

filth (personal), 208. 

fine (=end ! , 185. 

fineless, 185. 

fitchew, 197. 

fleers, 197. 

fobbed, 202. 

folly (= wantonness), 206. 

fond (=foolish), 168, 173, 191. 

for (=as for), 184. 

for ( = because), 167, 179. 

183, 188, 195- 
forbear { — spare), 159. 
fordoes, 205. 
fore, 177. 
fore fend, 206. 
forked plague, 188. 
forth of, 205. 

fortitude (-strength), 165. 
fraught (noun), 192. 
free (=innocent , >, 180, 187. 
free (=liberal^, 167. 
frize, 173. 

from (=away from), 158. 
fruitful (^bountiful). 1S0. 
full (= complete), 171. 
function (mental), 180. 
function (=trade", 199. 

galls (noun), 204. 

gastness, 205. 

gender (=kind), 169. 

generous (=noble), 188. 

giveaway (=give up), 183. 

God bless the mark ! 156. 

government, 187. 

grange, 157. 

green, 175. 

green-eyed, 185. 

grise. 165. 

gross in sense, 161. 

grows to waste, 202. 

guardage, 161. 

guards of the pole, 171. 

guinea-hen, 168. 

gyve, 174. 

had rather, 193. 

had rather to, 165. 

hadst been better have been, 

191. 
haggard, 188. 
hales, 197. 

happily (=haply), 187. 
happiness (=good luck), 194. 
hardness (=hardship\ 166. 
harlotry, 202. 
haste-post-haste, 160. 
haunt \intransitive), 157. 



have been behaved. 200. 
have with you, 160. 
having (^allowance), 204. 
hearted, 169, 192. 
heat (= hasted 160. 
heave the gorge, 175. 
heaven (^sky\ 170 
heaven (plural), 199. 
heavy (=cloudy), 205. 
heavy (=dull), 173. 
high supper-time, 202. 
high-wrought, 170. 
his (=its*, 196 
hobby-horse, 198. 
holds me well, 170. 
home, 174. 
honesty, 199. 
honey, 174. 
horned man, 196. 
horologe, 178. 
housewives, 173, 197. 
how say you by, 161. 
hungerlv, 194. 
hurt to danger. 179. 
Hydra, 180. 

idle (barren), 163. 

idleness. 163. 

import (=concern), 167. 

import (=importance,, 1S9. 

importancy, 162. 

in (=on), 158. 

in despite, 204. 

in happy time, 181. 

in quarter. 178. 

in the best advantage, 168. 

in the contrary, 201. 

in the rank garb, 176. 

inclining, 180. 

incontinent (adverb', 203. 

incontinently, 16S. 

index, 175. 

Indian, 209. 

indign, 167. 

ingraft, 178. 

injointed, 162. 

intendment, 202. 

intentively, 164. 

invention, 198. 

issues, 186. 

it is, 171, 197. 

it was my hint, 163. 

iterance, 207. 

jesses, 188. 
joint-ring, 204. 
jump (=agree), 161. 
jump (=just), 1S1. 
just ( = exact), 161. 
justly (=truthfully\ 163. 

knave (=meniaD, 15S. 
knee-crooking. 156. 



IXDEX OF WORDS AXD PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



213 



lack (=miss), 189. 

law-days, 184. 

lay (= wager), 180. 

learn (=teach), 164. 

learned, 188. 

leets, 184. 

let her down the wind, 188. 

letter, 156. 

levels with, 166. 

liberal, 173. 

liberal as the north, 20S. 

lies (=lodges), 193. 

like (—likely), 206. 

like ... as, 157. 

lingered (^prolonged), 202. 

list (=boundary), 196. 

list (=desire), 173. 

lost (^groundless), 208. 

lovely (adverb), 200. 

lown, 178. 

Luccicos, 162. 

magninco, 159. 

maidhood, 158. 

make away, 205. 

makes (=does), 160, 195. 

mammering, 183. 

manage ( = set on foot\ 179. 

m an dr agora, 190. 

marble, 192. 

married with, 200. 

master, 174. 

match (= compare), 187. 

mazzard, 178. 

me (ethical dative), 156, 161, 

194, 197. 
mean, 181. 
medicinable, 210. 
medicine (verb), 190. 
mere (=absolute), 176. 
mettle, 202. 
misuse, 200. 
mock, 185. 

modern (=common), 163. 
moe, 203. 
molestation, 171. 
monstrous (trisyllable), 179. 
moraler, 180. 
more nearer, 206. 
more safer, 165. 
more wider, 163. 
mortal (= deadly), 172. 
moth, 166. 

motions (=impulses), 169. 
mountebanks, 162. 
mummy, 193. 
mystery ( -trade), 199. 

napkin ( = handkerchief), 

188. 
new- create, 199. 
news (number), 161. 
next (=nearest), 165. 



not (transposed), 185. 
notorious, 2c 1. 
i nuptial, 176. 

! observance, 185. 
j observancy, 194. 

odd-even. 157. 

odds (=quarrel), 178. 

of (—from), 205. 

off-capped, 155. 

officed, 167. 

offices, 176. 

old gradation, 156. 

on (=of), 171. 

on the hip, 176. 

opposite (=averse), 160. 

other, 199. 

Ottomites, 162. 

out of fashion, 174. 

overt test, 163. 

owe (=own), 156, 190. 

pageant, 161. 

parallel, 180. 

part (adverb), 209. 

parts (= merits), 160, 180, 
188. 

passage (=passers-by), 205. 

passing (adverb), 164. 

patent, 198. 

patience (trisyllable), 1S1. 

peculiar, 183, 196. 
; peevish (=siily), 178, 204. 
\ perdurable, 169. 
! period (=ending), 210. 
J pestilence, 180. 
\ pierced, 165. 
'■■ pioners, 190. 

planet, 178. 
j play the sir, 174. 
! pleasance, 180. 
; point on, 206. 
\ poise (—weight), 1S3. 
\ portance, 163. 

position (—assertion), 187. 
1 post-post-haste, 162. 

pottle-deep, 177. 
! practice (=plotting\ 194. 209. 

precious (ironical), 208. 

prefer, 175. 

pregnant, 175. 

prerogatived, 188. 
j pricked, 191. 

probal, 180. 

probation (—proof. 191. 

profane, 173. 

profit, 191. 

proof (= trial), 205. 
' proper ( = comely). 170,. 203. 
I proper ( — own), 162. 

propose (=speak\ 155. 

propriety. 17S. 

prosperity, 175. 



puddled, 194. 

purse (verb), 183. 

put himself into triumph, 

176. m t 
put on (=mstigate), 176, 180. 
put out the light, 205. 
put it up (=put up with it), 

202. 

quality, 166. 
quat, 204. 
question, 162. 
quests, 160. 
quicken, 188. 
quillets, 181. 
quirks, 172. 

rank (=morbid), 187. 
rascals, 201. 

rash (metaphorical), 208. 
rash (=rashly), 194. 
recognizance, 207. 
recoiling, 187. 
reference, 166. 
regard (=view), 171. 
region (=part), 197. 
remorse (=pity), 191, 192. 
remove (^banish), 199. 
repeal (=recall), 180. 
reprobance, 207. 
reserves (—preserves), 189. 
respect (—attention), 202. 
riches (singular), 173. 
round (—plain), 163. 
rouse (=bumper), 177. 
ruffian ed, 170. 

safe(=sound), 199. 
Sagittary, 158, 210. 
salt (=lusttul), 175. 
sans, 162. 
'sblood, 155. 
scant, 167. 
scored me, 197. 
scorns (noun), 197. 
sect (^cutting). 169. 
secure, 196. 
seel, 167, 186. 
seem to, 181. 
segregation, 170. 
self-bounty, 186. 
self-charity, 179. 
se'nnight, 172. 
sense (^feeling), 179. 
sense (=senses), 204. 
sense, to the, 205. 
sequester (noun), 193. 
sequestration, 169. 
shadowing, 196. 
she (=her), 199. 
shifted him away, 197. 
shore (=sheared), 207. 
should ( — could), 193. 



214 



INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



shouldst, 191. 

bhrewd, 191. 

shrift, 183. 

sibyl. 193. 

siege (— rank\ 159. 

simpleness, 166. 

sith. 191. 

skillet, 167. 

sleeps (noun\ 191. 

slipper (adjective), 175. 

slubber, 165. 

snipe, 170. 

snorting, 157. 

so (=if ), 190. 

something ^adverb), 179. 

sooth, 183. 

sorry (=^sore\ 193. 

spake (=said). 209. 

Spartan dog, 210. 

speak parrot, 179. 

speak within door, 201. 

speculation, 167. 

spend your rich opinion, 179. 

spite of hell, 196. 

splinter, 180. 

squire (contemptuous\ 201. 

stand in act, 158. 

startingly, 194. 

stay the meat, 201. 

stead (=help), 169. 

still (=rever), 164. 

stones (of thunder\ 208. 

stood in your action, 162. 

stop (^hindrance), 20S. 

stoup, 177. 

strain. 187. 

strangeness. 182. 

stuff o' the conscience, 159. 

success, 186. 

such another, 197. 

sudden, 175. 

sufferance, 171. 

suggest (=tempt), 1S0. 

super-subtle, 169. 



supplied (=gratified), 196. 
sweeting, 179. 
sword of Spain, 208. 
syrups, 190. 

ta'en order, 206. 
ta'en out (=copied), 189, 195. 
tainting, 175. 
taken off, 209. 
talk (=talk idly), 203. 
teem, 198. 

than (transposed), 205. 
that, 157, 201. 
theoric, 155. 
thick-lips, 156. 
thin habits, 163. 
thrice driven, 165. 
thrive, 163. 
time of scorn, 200. 
to (omitted), 178, 183. 
to the advantage, 189. 
to-do, 203. 
toged, 155. 
toy (=whim), 195. 
toys (=trifles), 167. 
trash, 175, 205. 
traverse. 169. 

trimmed in forms and vis- 
ages, 156. 
turned Turks, 178. 
twiggen, 178. 

unauthorized (accent), 195. 
unbitted, 169. 
unblest, 180, 205. 
unbonneted. 159. 
unbookish, 197. 
uncapable, 202. 
undertaker, 198. 
unfolding, to my. 166. 
unhandsome, 195. 
unhatched, 194. 
unhoused, 159. 
unlace, 178. 



unperfectness. 180. 

improper, 196. 

unprovide, 198. 

unsure, 185. 

upon, 157. 

use (=custom), 199. 

uses ( — manners), 204. 

vantage, to the, 204. 

Veronese, 171. 

very fain, 198. 

vessel, 200. 

virtuous (=powerful), 194 

wage (= hazard), 162. 

warrior, 174, 195. 

watch him tame, 182. 

weaponed, 208. 

wearing (=clothes), 203. 

well desired, 174. 

well said, 174. 197, 205. 

wench, 189. 

what (=who\ 179, 180. 

white (play upon). 173. 

who (=whom), 160, 200. 

wholesome, 182. 

wife (=woman), 155. 

wight, 173. 

wind-shaked. 170. 

with (=by), 171. 

with all my heart, 198. 

wive verb), 193. 

wived, 172. 
, womaned, 195. 
j worser, 157, 197. 

wretch, 184. 

wrought, 209. 

yerked. 159. 
yet ( = as yet), 191. 
yet (transposed), 184. 
yond. 192. 
you" have said, 202. 
1 you were best, 160, 207 




^*m 



SHAKESPEARE. 

WITH NOTES BY WM, J. ROLFE, A.M. 



THE MERCHANT OF VEN- 
ICE. 
THE TEMPEST 
JULIUS CAESAR. 
HAMLET 

AS YOU LIKE IT 
HENRY THE FIFTH 
MACBETH 



HENRY THE EIGHTH 

RICHARD THE SECOND. 

MID 8 UMMER - NIG HT'8 
DREAM. 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTH- 
ING. 

ROMEO AND JULIET. 

OTHELLO. 



TWELFTH NIGHT. {In Press.) 

Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, 70 Cents per Volume; Paper, 50 
Cents per Volume. 



In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been 
the aim to adapt them for school and home 'reading, in essentially the 
same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational purposes. 
The chief requisites of such a work are a pure text (expurgated, if neces- 
sary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and illustration. 

Each of Shakespeare's plays is preceded by an Introduction containing 
the " History of the Play," the " Sources of the Plot," and " Critical Com- 
ments on the Plav. ,T 



From Prof. F. J. Child, of Harvard University, 
I read your " Merchant of Venice " with my class, and found it in every 
respect an excellent edition. I do not agree with my friend White in the 
opinion that Shakespeare requires but few notes — that is, if he is to be 
thoroughly understood. Doubtless he may be enjoyed, and many a hard 
place slid over. Your notes give all the help a young student requires, 
and yet the reader for pleasure will easily get at just what he wants. 
You have indeed been conscientiously concise. 

From L. R. Williston, A.M., Head Master of the High - School, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 
Mr. Rolfe's edition of " The Merchant of Venice" is an excellent one for 
school or general use. The notes contain all the explanations and refer- 
ences needful for a critical study of the language, as well as for under- 
standing the thought of the play. The extracts from Schlegel, Mrs. 
Jameson, and others, in the Introduction, helping to a better appreciation 
of the characters of the play, are a peculiar recommendation of this edition. 



Rolfe" s Sh a kespea re. 



From Rev. A. P. Peabody, D.D., Professor in Harvard Univwsity. 

I regard your own work on this play as of the highest merit, while you 
have turned the labors of others to the best possible account. I want to 
have the higher classes of our schools introduced to Shakespeare chief of 
all, and then to other standard English authors ; but this cannot be done 
to advantage, unless under a teacher of equally rare gifts and abundant 
leisure, or through editions specially prepared for such use. I trust that 
you will have the requisite encouragement to proceed with a work so 
happily begun. 

Your "Merchant of Venice" seems to me by no means limited in its 
adaptation to school use. All who have not access to a somewhat ex- 
tended Shakespearean apparatus need such editions as this ; and there 
are many not unintelligent adult readers of Shakespeare who lose half the 
pleasure and profit of reading him for lack of precisely such aid as you 
supply. 

From Prof. J. Dorm an Steele, Frei Academy, Elmira, X. Y. 

The copy of the " Tempest " is at hand, and very carefully examined. 
We shall use it in the Spring Term. Adoption in our school is, of course, 
the highest commendation I can give. The " Merchant of Venice " is 
now in use, and gives unqualified satisfaction. Prior to this, Shake- 
speare's plays were failing to interest the pupils, because of the difficulty 
found in understanding and appreciating the text. Your beautiful and 
comprehensive edition is very helpful indeed, and it has quickened the 
enthusiasm of the pupils. 

From W. C. Collar, A.M., Master of the lioxbury Lathi School, Boston. 

Please accept my thanks for a copy of your ik Merchant of Venice.' 1 
I have made a trial of it with my first class, and find it admirably adapted 
for use in the school-room. I think no one who was not an experienced 
teacher and a careful student of Shakespeare could have anticipated and 
supplied so well the needs of the learner; and, if I may judge from my 
own case, instructors will find the copious references contained in the 
notes very helpful in the preparation of their lessons. Give us a few 
more plays edited on the same plan, and there will no longer be any ex- 
cuse for excluding Shakespeare from our classical and high schools. 

From the Academy, London. 

Mr. Roiie's excellent series of school-editions of the Plays of Shake- 
speare. * * * Mr. Rolfe's editions differ from some of the English ones 
in looking on the plays as something more than word-puzzles. They give 
the student helps and hints on the characters and meanings of the plays, 
while the word-notes are also full and posted up to the latest date. * 
Mr. Rolfe also adds to each of his books a most useful " Index of Words 
and Phrases explained. " 



Rolfe's Shakespeare. 



From the Examiner and Chronicle, N. Y. 

We repeat what we have often said, that there is no edition of Shake- 
speare's which seems to us preferable to Mr. Rolfe's. As mere specimens 
of the printer's and binder's art they are unexcelled, and their other 
merits are equally high. Mr. Rolfe, having learned by the practical ex- 
perience of the class-room what aid the average student really needs in 
order to read Shakespeare intelligently, has put just that amount of aid 
into his notes, and no more. Having said what needs to be said, he stops 
there. It is a rare virtue in the editor of a classic, and we are propor- 
tionately grateful for it. 

From the N. Y. Times. 

This work has been done so well that it could hardly have been done 
better. It shows throughout knowledge, taste, discriminating judgment, 
and, what is rarer and of yet higher value, a sympathetic appreciation of 
the poet's moods and purposes. 

From Newton Bateman, President of Knox College, Galesburg, III. 

Mr. Rolfe deserves the thanks of all lovers of our grand old English 
classics for his very excellent contribution to the thorough and critical 
study of them. 

From Lindsey Webb, Superintendent of Schools, Grand Haven, Mich. 
We need just such books for the study of English in our high schools* 
and I am glad to see the want so well supplied by Mr. Rolfe. 

From John G. McMynn, Principal of Racine Academy, Racine, Wis. 

These editions of the great poet are, it seems to me, just what we need 
to cultivate a taste for sound reading. They contain the information 
necessary to a proper comprehension of the plays, and the reading of 
them affords that healthful pleasure that is so necessary to real culture. 

From Hiram Corson, Professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Literature, 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 

In the way of annotated editions of separate plays of Shakespeare, for 
educational purposes, I know of none quite up to Rolfe's. 

From Edward Searing, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wis. 
Shakespeare's Tragedy of "King Richard the Second," edited, with 
notes, by Wm. J. Rolfe, A.M., is another convenient text-book for Shake- 
spearean scholars from Mr. Rolfe's hands. A judicious introduction is 
enriched with critical comments on the play from Coleridge, Ulrici, and 
Gervinus, making altogether a very complete apparatus for understand- 
ing and analyzing this masterly work of the great dramatist. That 
Shakespeare is being more studied, as a part of liberal education, is a 
irood sign. 



fiolfe's Shakespeare. 



From the Pacific School .Journal, San Francisco. 
This edition of Shakespeare's plays bids fair to be the most valuable 
aid to the study of English literature yet published. For educational pur- 
poses it is beyond praise. Each of the plays is printed in large clear type 
and on excellent paper. Every difficulty of the text is clearly explained 
by copious notes. It is remarkable how many new beauties one may dis- 
cern in Shakespeare with the aid of the glossaries attached to these books. 
* * * Teachers can do no higher, better work than to inculcate a love for 
the best literature, and such books as these will best aid them in culti- 
vating a pure and refined taste. 

From J. H. Hanson, A.M., Principal of Watervillt Classical Institute, Maine. 

Far superior for school use to any edition of Shakespeare which has 
yet appeared. * * * Hitherto, to the great majority of scholars in our high- 
schools and academies, not to say colleges, Shakespeare has been an al- 
most sealed book, for the want of the helps necessary to understand and 
appreciate him. That this is so no longer I am heartily thankful. 

From S. H. Carpenter, Professor in Wisconsin State University. 

I have used Rolfe's Series of Classics with my classes, and find that it 
is easy to awaken an interest in Shakespeare and in our literature gener- 
ally. The notes and other helps in the series seem to me better adapted 
to the wants of students than any other edition I have seen. 

From Edwin A. Abbott, Author of Shakespearean Grammar. 

I have not seen any edition that compresses so much necessary infor- 
mation into so small a space, nor any that so completely avoids the com- 
mon faults of commentaries on Shakespeare — needless repetition, super- 
fluous explanation, and unscholar-like ignoring of difficulties. 

From the Christian Union, N. Y. 

Mr. W. J. Rolfe's capital edition of Shakespeare — by far the best edition 
for school and parlor use. We speak after some practical use of it in a 
village Shakespeare Club. The notes are brief but useful ; and the neces- 
sary expurgations are managed with discriminating skill. 

From the Congregational 'ist, Boston. 
Mr. Rolfe is doing very useful work in the preparation of compact 
hand-books for study in English literature. His own personal culture, 
and his long experience as a teacher, give him good knowledge of what 
is wanted in this way. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS. New York. 

Any of the above works wiU be- sent bit mail, postage prepaid t to any part of the 
United States, o« receipt nf the price. 



OLIVER GOLDSMITH. 



SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. Edited, 
with Notes, by William J. Rolfe, A.M., formerly Kead 
Master of the High School, Cambridge, Mass. Illus- 
trated. i6mo, Cloth, 70 cents. (Uniform with Rolfe s 
Edition of Shakespeare's Merchant of Ve?iice, Tempest. 
Henry VIII., Richard II, and Julius Caesar.) 

The carefully arranged editions of "The Merchant of Venice 1 ' and 
other of Shakespeare's plays prepared by Mr. William J. Rolfe for the 
use of students will be remembered with pleasure by many readers, and 
they will welcome another volume of a similar character from the same 
source, in the form of the " Select Poems of Oliver Goldsmith," edited 
with notes fuller than those of any other known edition, many of them 
original with the editor. — Boston Transcript. 

Mr. Rolfe is doing very useful work in the preparation of compact 
hand-books for study in English literature. His own personal culture, 
and his long experience as a teacher, give him good knowledge of what is 
wanted in this way. — The Congregationalist, Boston. 

Mr. Rolfe has prefixed to the Poems selections illustrative of Gold- 
smith's character as a man and grade as a poet, from sketches by Ma- 
caulay, Thackeray, George Colman, Thomas Campbell, John Forster, and 
Washington Irving. He has also appended, at the end of the volume, a 
body of scholarly notes explaining and illustrating the poems, and dealing 
with the times in which they were written as well as the incidents and 
circumstances attending their composition. — Christian Intel Higenc er -,N. ,Y '. 

The notes are just and discriminating in tone, and supply all that is 
necessary either for understanding the thought of the several poems, or 
for a critical study of the language. The use of such books in the school- 
room can not but contribute largely toward putting the study of English 
literature upon a sound basis ; and many an adult reader would find in 
the present volume an excellent opportunity for becoming critically ac- 
quainted with one of the greatest of last century's poets. — Appletons'* 
Journal, N. Y. 

Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 



§^T* Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any pari 0/ the United States, on receipt 
of the price. 



THOMAS GRAY. 

SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY. Edited, with 
Notes, by William J. Rolfe, A.M., formerly Head Mas- 
ter of the High School, Cambridge, Mass. Illustrated. 
Square i6mo, Cloth, 70 cents. (U?iiform with Rolfe's 
Edition of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, I^empest, Henry 
VIII., Richard II, and Julius Ccesar, and the Select Poems 
< of Oliver Goldsmith.) 

Mr. Rolfe has done his work in a manner that comes as near to per- 
fection as man can approach. He knows his subject so well that he is 
competent to instruct all in it ; and readers will find an immense amount 
of knowledge in his elegant volume, all set forth in the most admirable 
order, and breathing the most liberal and enlightened spirit, he being a 
warm appreciator of the divinity of genius. — Boston Traveller. 

The great merit of these books lie in their carefully-edited text, and in 
the fullness of their explanatory notes. Mr. Rolfe is not satisfied with 
simply expounding, but he explores the entire field of English literature, 
and therefrom gathers a multitude of illustrations that are interesting in 
themselves and valuable as a commentary on the text. He not only in- 
structs, but stimulates his readers to fresh exertion ; and it is this stimula- 
tion that makes his labors so productive in the school-room. — Saturday 
Evening Gazette, Boston. 

Mr. William J. Rolfe, to whom English literature is largely indebted 
for annotated and richly-illustrated editions of several of Shakespeare's 
plays, has treated the " Select Poems of Thomas Gray" in the same way — 
just as he had previously dealt with the best of Goldsmith's poems. — The 
Press, Phil a. 

Mr. Rolfe's edition of Thomas Gray's select poems is marked by the 
same discriminating taste as his other classics. — Springfield Republican. 

Mr. Rolfe's rare abilities as a teacher and his fine scholarly tastes ena- 
ble him to prepare a classic like this in the best manner for school use. 
There could be no better exercise for the advanced classes in our schools 
than the critical study of our best authors, and the volumes that Mr. Rolfe 
has prepared will hasten the time when the study of mere form will give 
place to the study of the spirit of our literature. — Louisville Courier -Journal. 

An elegant and scholarly little volume. — Christian Intelligencer, N. Y. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

Sent by mail, postxge prepaid, to any part of the United States, on rcceip: of 
the price and one-sixth additional for postage- 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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